Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon

²⁶ Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled^(A) against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.

²⁷ Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the terraces^[a](B) and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David his father. ²⁸ Now Jeroboam was a man of standing,^(C) and when Solomon saw how well^(D) the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the tribes of Joseph.

²⁹ About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah^(E) the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, ³⁰ and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore^(F) it into twelve pieces. ³¹ Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear^(G) the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes. ³² But for the sake^(H) of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. ³³ I will do this because they have^[b] forsaken me and worshiped^(I) Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked^(J) in obedience to me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees^(K) and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did.

³⁴ “‘But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. ³⁵ I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes. ³⁶ I will give one tribe^(L) to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp^(M) before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. ³⁷ However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule^(N) over all that your heart desires;^(O) you will be king over Israel. ³⁸ If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right^(P) in my eyes by obeying my decrees^(Q) and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty^(R) as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.

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]

⁵ But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill, and you are to give her such and such an answer. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else.”

⁶ So when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense?^(A) I have been sent to you with bad news. ⁷ Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:^(B) ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler^(C) over my people Israel. ⁸ I tore^(D) the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right^(E) in my eyes. ⁹ You have done more evil^(F) than all who lived before you.^(G) You have made for yourself other gods, idols^(H) made of metal; you have aroused^(I) my anger and turned your back on me.^(J)

¹⁰ “‘Because of this, I am going to bring disaster^(K) on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free.^[a](L) I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone.^(M)