1 Kings 12:25-32

Amplified Bible

Jeroboam’s Idolatry

²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem [as his royal city] in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. He went out from there and rebuilt Penuel [as a stronghold]. ²⁶ Jeroboam [doubted God’s promise to him and] said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.^{(A) 27} If these people go up to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, then their heart will turn to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” ²⁸ So the king took counsel [and followed bad advice] and made two ^[a]calves of gold. And he said to the people, “It is too much for you to go [all the way] up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” ²⁹ He set the one [golden calf] in Bethel, and the other he put in ^[b]Dan. ³⁰ Now this thing became a sin [for Israel]; because the people went to worship before the one [or the other of them] as far as Dan. ³¹ And Jeroboam also made houses on high places, and he made priests from ^[c]all people who were not of the sons (descendants) of Levi. ³² Jeroboam held a feast on the fifteenth day of the ^[d]eighth month, like the feast which is kept in Judah, and he went up to the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.^(B)