Jeroboam Makes Golden Calves

²⁵ Then ^(A)Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived ^[a]there. And he went out from there and built ^(B)Penuel. ²⁶ And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. ^27 (C)If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” ²⁸ So the king took counsel, and ^(D)made two golden ^(E)calves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; ^(F)behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” ²⁹ And he set ^(G)one in ^(H)Bethel, and one he put in ^(I)Dan. ³⁰ Now ^(J)this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. ³¹ And ^(K)he made houses on high places, and ^(L)made priests from among ^[b]all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. ³² And Jeroboam made a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, ^(M)like the feast which is in Judah, and he ^[c]went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, to sacrifice to the calves which he had made. And he had ^(N)the priests of the high places, which he had made, stand in Bethel.