³³ A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression^(A) all your days.^(B)

²⁶ Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. ²⁷ If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem,^(A) they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”

²⁸ After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves.^(B) He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”^{(C) 29} One he set up in Bethel,^(D) and the other in Dan.^{(E) 30} And this thing became a sin;^(F) the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.^[a]

³¹ Jeroboam built shrines^(G) on high places and appointed priests^(H) from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. ³² He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth^(I) month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel,^(J) sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. ³³ On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel.^(K) So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.

²⁹ In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser^(A) king of Assyria came and took Ijon,^(B) Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali,^(C) and deported^(D) the people to Assyria.

¹⁶ At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah^(A) and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open^(B) their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.

Menahem King of Israel

¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. ¹⁸ He did evil^(C) in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

¹⁹ Then Pul^[a](D) king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents^[b] of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. ²⁰ Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels^[c] of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew^(E) and stayed in the land no longer.