1 Kings 12
New Century Version
Israel Turns Against Rehoboam
12 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the Israelites had gone to make him king. 2 Jeroboam son of Nebat was still in Egypt, where he had gone to escape from Solomon. When Jeroboam heard about Rehoboam being made king, he was living in Egypt. 3 After the people sent for him, he and the people went to Rehoboam and said to him, 4 “Your father forced us to work very hard. Now, make it easier for us, and don’t make us work as hard as he did. Then we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days, and then come back to me.” So the people left.
6 King Rehoboam asked the elders who had advised Solomon during his lifetime, “How do you think I should answer these people?”
7 They said, “You should be like a servant to them today. If you serve them and give them a kind answer, they will serve you always.”
8 But Rehoboam rejected this advice. Instead, he asked the young men who had grown up with him and who served as his advisers. 9 Rehoboam asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who said, ‘Don’t make us work as hard as your father did’?”
10 The young men who had grown up with him answered, “Those people said to you, ‘Your father forced us to work very hard. Now make our work easier.’ You should tell them, ‘My little finger is bigger than my father’s legs. 11 He forced you to work hard, but I will make you work even harder. My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have sharp points.’”
12 Rehoboam had told the people, “Come back to me in three days.” So after three days Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam. 13 King Rehoboam spoke cruel words to them, because he had rejected the advice the elders had given him. 14 He followed the advice of the young men and said to the people, “My father forced you to work hard, but I will make you work even harder. My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have sharp points.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people. The Lord caused this to happen to keep the promise he had made to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah, a prophet from Shiloh.
16 When all the Israelites saw that the new king refused to listen to them, they said to the king,
“We have no share in David!
We have no part in the son of Jesse!
People of Israel, let’s go to our own homes!
Let David’s son rule his own people!”
So the Israelites went home. 17 But Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.
18 Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. When Rehoboam sent him to the people of Israel, they threw stones at him until he died. But King Rehoboam ran to his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem. 19 Since then, Israel has been against the family of David.
20 When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they called him to a meeting and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah continued to follow the family of David.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered one hundred eighty thousand of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. As son of Solomon, Rehoboam wanted to fight the people of Israel to take back his kingdom.
22 But God spoke his word to Shemaiah, a man of God, saying, 23 “Speak to Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the people. Say to them, 24 ‘The Lord says you must not go to war against your brothers, the Israelites. Every one of you should go home, because I made all these things happen.’” So they obeyed the Lord’s command and went home as the Lord had commanded.
25 Then Jeroboam made Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim a very strong city, and he lived there. He also went to the city of Peniel and made it stronger.
Jeroboam Builds Golden Calves
26 Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom will probably go back to David’s family. 27 If the people continue going to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, they will want to be ruled again by Rehoboam. Then they will kill me and follow Rehoboam king of Judah.”
28 King Jeroboam asked for advice. Then he made two golden calves. “It is too long a journey for you to go to Jerusalem to worship,” he said to the people. “Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.” 29 Jeroboam put one golden calf in the city of Bethel and the other in the city of Dan. 30 This became a very great sin, because the people traveled as far as Dan to worship the calf there.
31 Jeroboam built temples on the places of worship. He also chose priests from all the people, not just from the tribe of Levi. 32 And he started a new festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival in Judah. During that time the king offered sacrifices on the altar, along with sacrifices to the calves in Bethel he had made. He also chose priests in Bethel to serve at the places of worship he had made. 33 So Jeroboam chose his own time for a festival for the Israelites—the fifteenth day of the eighth month. During that time he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built in Bethel. He set up a festival for the Israelites and offered sacrifices on the altar.
Melachim Alef 12
Orthodox Jewish Bible
12 And Rechav‘am went to Shechem; for kol Yisroel were come to Shechem to make him Melech.
2 And it came to pass, when Yarov‘am Ben Nevat, who was yet in Mitzrayim, heard of it, (for he had fled from the presence of HaMelech Sh’lomo, and Yarov‘am dwelt in Mitzrayim);
3 That they sent and called him. And Yarov‘am and kol Kehal Yisroel came, and spoke unto Rechav‘am, saying,
4 Avicha made our ol (yoke) difficult; now therefore make thou the grievous avodat Avicha, and his heavy ol (yoke) which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
5 And he said unto them, Depart yet for shloshah yamim, then come back to me. And HaAm departed.
6 And HaMelech Rechav‘am consulted with the Zekenim, that stood before Sh’lomo Aviv while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may return answer to HaAm Hazeh?
7 And they spoke unto him, saying, If thou wilt be an eved unto this people today, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak devarim tovim to them, then they will be thy avadim kol hayamim.
8 But he forsook the atzat HaZekenim (counsel of the Elders), which they had given him, and consulted with the yeladim (young people) that were grown up with him, and which stood before him (i.e., were in his court);
9 And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may return answer to HaAm Hazeh, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the ol (yoke) which Avicha did put upon us lighter?
10 And the yeladim that were grown up with him spoke unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto HaAm hazeh that spoke unto thee, saying, Avicha made our ol (yoke) heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than the loins of Avi!
11 And now whereas Avi did lay on you an ol kaved (heavy yoke), I will add to your ol (yoke); Avi hath scourged you with shotim (whips), but I will scourge you with akrabim (scorpions).
12 So Yarov‘am and kol HaAm came to Rechav‘am the Yom HaShelishi, just as HaMelech had appointed, saying, Come to me again the Yom HaShelishi.
13 And HaMelech answered HaAm roughly, and forsook the atzat HaZekenim (counsel of the Elders) that they gave him;
14 And spoke to them according to atzat HaYeladim, saying, Avi made your ol (yoke) heavy, and I will add to your ol (yoke); Avi also scourged you with shotim (whips), but I will scourge you with akrabim.
15 So HaMelech paid heed not unto HaAm; for the sibbah (turn of events) was from Hashem, in order that He might perform His davar, which Hashem spoke by Achiyah the Shiloni unto Yarov‘am Ben Nevat [See 1Kgs 11:29-39].
16 So when kol Yisroel saw that HaMelech paid heed not unto them, HaAm answered HaMelech, saying, What chelek have we in Dovid? Neither have we nachalah in Ben Yishai; to your ohalim, O Yisroel; now see to thine own Bais, Dovid. So Yisroel departed unto their ohalim.
17 But as for the Bnei Yisroel which dwelt in the towns of Yehudah, Rechav‘am reigned over them.
18 Then HaMelech Rechav‘am sent Adoram, who was over the mas (forced labor); and kol Yisroel stoned him, that he died. Therefore HaMelech Rechav‘am made speed to get himself up to his merkavah, to flee to Yerushalayim.
19 So Yisroel has been in rebellion against the Bais Dovid unto this day.
20 And it came to pass, when kol Yisroel heard that Yarov‘am was come again, that they sent and called him unto the Edah, and made him melech over kol Yisroel; there was none that followed the Bais Dovid, but the Shevet Yehudah only.
21 And when Rechav‘am was come to Yerushalayim he assembled kol Bais Yehudah, with the Shevet Binyamin, a hundred and fourscore thousand bachur oseh milchamah (chosen fighting men), to fight against Bais Yisroel, to regain the Kingdom for Rechav‘am Ben Sh’lomo.
22 But the Devar HaElohim came unto Shemayah the Ish HaElohim, saying,
23 Speak unto Rechav‘am Ben Sh’lomo Melech Yehudah, and unto kol Bais Yehudah and Binyamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,
24 Thus saith Hashem, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the Bnei Yisroel; Shuvu (go back! return!) every ish to his bais; for this thing is from Me. They paid heed therefore to the Devar Hashem, and turned around to depart, according to the Devar Hashem.
25 Then Yarov‘am built Shechem in har Ephrayim, and dwelt therein; and went out from there, and built Penuel.
26 And Yarov‘am said in his lev, Now shall the mamlachah return to the Bais Dovid:
27 If HaAm Hazeh go up to offer zevakhim (sacrifices) at the Beis Hashem at Yerushalayim, then shall lev HaAm Hazeh turn back unto adoneihem, even unto Rechav`am Melech Yehudah, and they shall kill me, and return to Rechav`am Melech Yehudah.
28 Whereupon HaMelech took counsel, and made two eglei zahav (calves of gold), and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Yerushalayim; hinei, eloheicha, O Yisroel, which brought thee up out of Eretz Mitzrayim.
29 He set the one in Beit-El, the other put he in Dan.
30 And this thing became chattat (sin); for the people went to worship before the one, even as far as Dan.
31 And he made a bais for the [idolatrous] high places, and made kohanim of the lowest of the people, which were not of the Bnei Levi.
32 And Yarov`am ordained a chag in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the chag that is in Yehudah, and he offered upon the mizbe’ach. So did he in Beit-El, sacrificing unto the agalim (calves) that he had made; and he installed in Beit-El the kohanim of the [idolatrous] high places which he had made.
33 So he offered upon the mizbe’ach which he had made in Beit-El the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own lev; and ordained a chag unto the Bnei Yisroel; and he offered upon the mizbe’ach, and burned ketoret.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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