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The House of Jeroboam Is Cut Off

14 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise now, and (A)disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to (B)Shiloh; behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who (C)spoke concerning me that I would be king over this people. (D)And take ten loaves with you, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

Then Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to (E)Shiloh, and came to the house of (F)Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, (G)for his eyes had [a]set because of his old age. Now Yahweh had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to [b]inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. You shall say thus and thus to her, for it will be when she arrives that (H)she will pretend to be another woman.”

Now it happened as Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, that he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam, why do you pretend to be another woman? For I am sent to you with a harsh message. Go, say to Jeroboam, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “(I)Because I exalted you from among the people and made you ruler over My people Israel, and (J)tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you—(K)yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who walked after Me with all his heart, (L)to do only that which was right in My sight; you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and (M)have gone and made for yourself other gods and (N)molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have (O)cast Me behind your back— 10 therefore behold, I am bringing evil on the house of Jeroboam: I (P)will cut off from Jeroboam [c]every male person, (Q)both bond and free in Israel, and I (R)will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. 11 (S)Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the sky will eat; for Yahweh has spoken it.”’ 12 But you, arise, go to your house. (T)When your feet enter the city the child will die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for [d]he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him (U)something good was found toward Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover, (V)Yahweh will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day [e]and from now on.

15 “So Yahweh will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and (W)He will uproot Israel from (X)this good land which He gave to their fathers, and (Y)will scatter them beyond the [f]River, (Z)because they have made their [g]Asherim, provoking Yahweh to anger. 16 And He will give Israel over (AA)on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and with which he made Israel to sin.”

17 Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and went away and came to (AB)Tirzah. (AC)As she was entering the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 (AD)And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of Yahweh which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

The Death of Jeroboam

19 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, (AE)how he made war and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 Now the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son became king in his place.

Rehoboam Reigns over Judah

21 (AF)Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon became king in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, (AG)the city which Yahweh had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22 (AH)And Judah did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and they (AI)provoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with [h]the sins which they sinned. 23 They also built for themselves (AJ)high places and sacred (AK)pillars and [i](AL)Asherim on every high hill and (AM)beneath every green tree. 24 There were also (AN)male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which Yahweh dispossessed before the sons of Israel.

25 (AO)Now it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 And he took the treasures of the house of Yahweh and the treasures of the king’s house. And (AP)he took everything; he (AQ)even took all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27 Then King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and (AR)committed them into the hand of the commanders of the [j]guard who kept the door of the king’s house. 28 Now it happened as often as the king entered the house of Yahweh, that the [k]guards would carry them and would bring them back into the [l]guards’ room.

The Death of Rehoboam

29 (AS)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 (AT)Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and (AU)his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son became king in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 14:4 Became dim
  2. 1 Kings 14:5 Lit seek a word from
  3. 1 Kings 14:10 Lit him who urinates against the wall, cf. 1 Sam 25:22, 34; 1 Kin 16:11; 21:21; 2 Kin 9:8
  4. 1 Kings 14:13 Lit the one
  5. 1 Kings 14:14 Lit and what even now?
  6. 1 Kings 14:15 The Euphrates River
  7. 1 Kings 14:15 Wooden symbols of a female deity
  8. 1 Kings 14:22 Lit their
  9. 1 Kings 14:23 Wooden symbols of a female deity
  10. 1 Kings 14:27 Lit runner
  11. 1 Kings 14:28 Lit runners
  12. 1 Kings 14:28 Lit runners

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”