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Judgment for Jeroboam Continues

14 At that time, Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill. Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please get up and disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Look, Ahijah the prophet is there, and he spoke concerning me before I became king over this people. You must take ten loaves of bread in your hand and cakes and a jar of honey, and you must go to him. He shall tell you what will happen to the boy.” The wife of Jeroboam did so. She got up, went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah was not able to see, for his eyes were fixed[a] because of his old age. Then Yahweh said to Ahijah, “Look, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to seek a word from you about her son, for he is ill. Thus and so[b] you shall say to her. When she comes, she will be disguising herself.” It happened at the moment Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps coming through the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you making yourself unrecognizable? I have been sent a hard message for you: Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: “Because I raised you from the midst of the people and I made you leader over my people Israel, I tore the kingdom from the house of David and I gave it to you. But you were not like my servant David who kept my commandments, and who went after me with all his heart, to do only what is right in my eyes. But you did more evil than all who were before you. You have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten idols to provoke me, but me you have completely disregarded.[c] 10 Therefore, look, I am about to bring disaster upon the house of Jeroboam, and I will cut off males[d] from Jeroboam, bond or free, in Israel. I will burn after the house of Jeroboam as one burns after the manure, until it is finished. 11 He who dies for Jeroboam in the city, the dogs will eat. He who dies in the open field, the birds from the heavens will eat, for Yahweh has spoken it.”’ 12 As for you, get up. Go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child will die. 13 All of Israel will mourn for him, and they will bury him. This one alone will come to a tomb for Jeroboam, because a good thing has been found in him by Yahweh the God of Israel in the house of Israel. 14 Yahweh will raise up a king for himself over Israel who will even now cut off the house of Jeroboam this day. 15 Yahweh will strike Israel as one shakes the reed plant in the water, and he will root Israel up from this good land that he gave to their ancestors.[e] He will scatter them beyond the River[f] because they have made their sacred poles which are provoking Yahweh. 16 He will give up Israel because of the sin of Jeroboam which he sinned and which he caused Israel to sin.”

17 Then the wife of Jeroboam got up, went, and came to Tirzah. As she was coming to the threshold of the house, the boy died. 18 They buried him and all of Israel mourned for him, according to the word of Yahweh which he had spoken by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet. 19 The remainder of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel. 20 The days which Jeroboam reigned were twenty-two years, and he slept with his ancestors.[g] Then Nadab his son became king in place of him.

Rehoboam Reigns in Judah

21 Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which, from all of the tribes of Israel, Yahweh chose to place his name. And the name of his mother was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22 But Judah did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and they annoyed him more than their fathers[h] did with their sins that they had committed. 23 They also built for themselves high places and stone pillars and sacred poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There were also male shrine prostitutes in the land, and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which Yahweh had driven out from before the Israelites.[i]

Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt Raids Jerusalem

25 It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, 26 and he took the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and he took all the treasures of the king’s house. He took the small gold shields that Solomon had made, 27 so King Rehoboam made small copper shields in place of them and entrusted them[j] to the commanders of the royal guard who keep the doorway of the king’s house. 28 Whenever the king came to the house of Yahweh, the royal guard carried them and brought them back to the alcove room of the royal guard. 29 The remainder of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? 30 There was always war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 31 Then Rehoboam slept with his ancestors,[k] and he was buried with his ancestors[l] in the city of David. The name of his mother was Naamah the Ammonitess. Abijam his son became king in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 14:4 Literally “his eyes stood”
  2. 1 Kings 14:5 Literally “As this and as this”
  3. 1 Kings 14:9 Literally “hurled behind your back”
  4. 1 Kings 14:10 Literally “those who urinate against a wall”
  5. 1 Kings 14:15 Or “fathers”
  6. 1 Kings 14:15 That is, the Euphrates
  7. 1 Kings 14:20 Or “fathers”
  8. 1 Kings 14:22 Or “ancestors”
  9. 1 Kings 14:24 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  10. 1 Kings 14:27 Literally “he assigned on the hand”
  11. 1 Kings 14:31 Or “fathers”
  12. 1 Kings 14:31 Or “fathers”

14 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, who spake concerning me that I should be king over this people. And take with thee ten loaves, and cakes, and a [a]cruse of honey, and go to him: he will tell thee what shall become of the child. And Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age. And Jehovah said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to inquire of thee concerning her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her; for it will be, when she cometh in, that she will feign herself to be another woman.

And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings. Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee [b]prince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee; and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes, but hast done evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back: 10 therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every man-child, him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away dung, till it be all gone. 11 Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat: for Jehovah hath spoken it. 12 Arise thou therefore, get thee to thy house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover Jehovah will raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: [c]but what? even now. 15 For Jehovah will smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking Jehovah to anger. 16 And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, [d]which he hath sinned, and wherewith he hath made Israel to sin.

17 And Jeroboam’s wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 And all Israel buried him, and mourned for him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

19 And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 20 And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there: and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22 And Judah did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built them high places, and [e]pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every green tree; 24 and there were also sodomites in the land: they did according to all the abominations of the nations which Jehovah drove out before the children of Israel.

25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; 26 and he took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27 And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the [f]guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. 28 And it was so, that, as oft as the king went into the house of Jehovah, the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And [g]Abijam his son reigned in his stead.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 14:3 Or, bottle
  2. 1 Kings 14:7 Or, leader
  3. 1 Kings 14:14 Or, and what even now?
  4. 1 Kings 14:16 Or, who did sin, and who made etc.
  5. 1 Kings 14:23 Or, obelisks
  6. 1 Kings 14:27 Hebrew runners.
  7. 1 Kings 14:31 In 2 Chr. 12:16, Abijah.