1 Kings 11:26-12:15

Holman Christian Standard Bible

²⁶ Now Solomon’s servant,^(A) Jeroboam son of Nebat, was an Ephraimite from Zeredah. His widowed mother’s name was Zeruah. Jeroboam rebelled^(B) against Solomon, ²⁷ and this is the reason he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the supporting terraces^(C) and repaired the opening in the wall of the city of his father David. ²⁸ Now the man Jeroboam was capable, and Solomon noticed the young man because he was getting things done. So he appointed him over the entire labor force of the house of Joseph.^(D)

²⁹ During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite^(E) met Jeroboam on the road as Jeroboam came out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself with a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field. ³⁰ Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he had on, tore it into 12 pieces,^{(F) 31} and said to Jeroboam, “Take 10 pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand. I will give you 10 tribes, ³² but one tribe will remain his because of my servant David^(G) and because of Jerusalem, the city I chose out of all the tribes of Israel.^{(H) 33} For they have abandoned Me; they have bowed the knee to Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, to Chemosh, the god of Moab, and to Milcom, the god of the Ammonites.^(I) They have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and to carry out My statutes and My judgments as his father David did.^(J)

³⁴ “‘However, I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand but will let him be ruler all the days of his life because of My servant David, whom I chose and who kept My commands and My statutes. ³⁵ I will take 10 tribes of the kingdom from his son’s hand and give them to you. ³⁶ I will give one tribe^(K) to his son,^(L) so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me^(M) in Jerusalem, the city I chose for Myself to put My name there.^{(N) 37} I will appoint you,^(O) and you will reign as king^(P) over all you want,^(Q) and you will be king over Israel.

³⁸ “‘After that, if you obey all I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and My commands as My servant David did, I will be with you.^(R) I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David,^(S) and I will give you Israel. ³⁹ I will humble David’s descendants, because of their unfaithfulness, but not forever.’”^[a](T)

⁴⁰ Therefore, Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam,^(U) but he fled to Egypt,^(V) to Shishak king of Egypt,^(W) where he remained until Solomon’s death.

Solomon’s Death

⁴¹ The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and his wisdom, are written in the Book of Solomon’s Events.^{(X) 42} The length of Solomon’s reign in Jerusalem over all Israel totaled 40 years.^{(Y) 43} Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam^(Z) became king in his place.^(AA)

The Kingdom Divided

12 Then Rehoboam^(AB) went to Shechem,^(AC) for all Israel^(AD) had gone to Shechem to make him king.^{(AE) 2} When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about it, for he was still in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon’s presence,^(AF) Jeroboam stayed in Egypt.^{[b] 3} They summoned him, and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam: ⁴ “Your father made our yoke difficult.^(AG) You, therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us,^(AH) and we will serve you.”

⁵ Rehoboam replied, “Go home for three days and then return to me.” So the people left. ⁶ Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders^(AI) who had served his father Solomon when he was alive, asking, “How do you advise me to respond to these people?”

⁷ They replied, “Today if you will be a servant to these people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”^(AJ)

⁸ But he rejected the advice of the elders who had advised him^(AK) and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and served him. ⁹ He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

¹⁰ Then the young men who had grown up with him told him, “This is what you should say to these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter on us!’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! ¹¹ Although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.’”^[c](AL)

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had ordered: “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³ Then the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice the elders had given him ¹⁴ and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice: “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.”^[d]

¹⁵ The king did not listen to the people, because this turn of events came from the Lord^(AM) to carry out His word, which the Lord had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.^(AN)