Jeroboam’s Gold Calves

²⁵ Then Jeroboam ^(A)built^[a] Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built ^(B)Penuel. ²⁶ And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: ²⁷ If these people ^(C)go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

²⁸ Therefore the king asked advice, ^(D)made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. ^(E)Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” ²⁹ And he set up one in ^(F)Bethel, and the other he put in ^(G)Dan. ³⁰ Now this thing became ^(H)a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. ³¹ He made ^[b]shrines on the high places, ^(I)and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

³² Jeroboam ^[c]ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like ^(J)the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. ^(K)And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. ³³ So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had ^(L)devised in his own heart. And he ^[d]ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and ^(M)burned incense.