Jeroboam’s Idolatry

25 Jeroboam built Shechem(A) in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built Penuel.(B) 26 Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom might now return to the house of David.(C) 27 If these people regularly go to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem,(D) the heart of these people will return to their lord, King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and go back to the king of Judah.” 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.”(E) 29 He set up one in Bethel,(F) and put the other in Dan.(G) 30 This led to sin;(H) the people walked in procession before one of the calves all the way to Dan.[b](I)

31 Jeroboam also made shrines[c] on the high places(J) and made priests from the ranks of the people who were not Levites.(K) 32 Jeroboam made a festival in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival in Judah.(L) 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.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. 12:28 Or here is your God, or here is your god
  2. 12:30 Some LXX mss read calves to Bethel and the other to Dan
  3. 12:31 Lit a house

Jeroboam I and the shrines

25 Jeroboam fortified Shechem at Mount Ephraim and lived there. From there he also fortified Penuel. 26 Jeroboam thought to himself, The kingdom is in danger of reverting to the house of David. 27 If these people continue to sacrifice at the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, they will again become loyal to their master Rehoboam, Judah’s king, and they will kill me so they can return to Judah’s King Rehoboam. 28 So the king asked for advice and then made two gold calves. He said to the people, “It’s too far for you to go all the way up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel! Here are your gods who brought you out from the land of Egypt.” 29 He put one calf in Bethel, and the other he placed in Dan. 30 This act was sinful. The people went to worship before the one calf at Bethel and before the other one as far as Dan.[a] 31 Jeroboam made shrines on the high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, but none were Levites. 32 Jeroboam set a date for a celebration on the fifteenth day of the eighth month.[b] It was just like the celebration in Judah. He sacrificed on the altar. At Bethel he sacrificed to the calves he had made. There also he installed the priests for the shrines he had made.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 12:30 Cf LXX; MT lacks before the one at Bethel.
  2. 1 Kings 12:32 October–November