²⁸ So the king sought advice.

Then he made two golden calves, and he said to the people, “Going to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Israel, here are your gods^[a] who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”^{(A) 29} He set up one in Bethel,^(B) and put the other in Dan.^{(C) 30} This led to sin;^(D) the people walked in procession before one of the calves all the way to Dan.^[b](E)

³¹ Jeroboam also made shrines^[c] on the high places^(F) and made priests from the ranks of the people who were not Levites.^{(G) 32} Jeroboam made a festival in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival in Judah.^(H) He offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had made. He also stationed the priests in Bethel for the high places he had made.^{(I) 33} He offered sacrifices on^[d] the altar he had set up in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. He chose this month on his own.^(J) He made a festival for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.^(K)

Summary of Israel’s History

²¹ When the Lord tore^(A) Israel from the house of David, Israel made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.^(B) Then Jeroboam led Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit grave sin. ²² The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam committed and did not turn away from them.^{(C) 23} Finally, the Lord removed Israel from his presence just as he had declared through all his servants the prophets. So Israel has been exiled to Assyria from their homeland to this very day.^(D)