Beginning
Israel Turns Against Rehoboam(A)
12 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the Israelites had ·gone [gathered] to make him king. 2 Jeroboam son of Nebat was still in Egypt, where he had ·gone to escape [fled] from Solomon. When Jeroboam heard about Rehoboam being made king, he was living in Egypt. 3 After ·the people [or the leaders; L they] sent for him, he and ·the people [L all the assembly/crowd of Israel] went to Rehoboam and said to him, 4 “Your father ·forced us to work [L made our yoke] very hard. Now, ·make it easier for us [lighten the harsh labor], and ·don’t make us work as hard as he did [L the heavy yoke he put on us]. Then we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days, and then come back to me.” So the people left.
6 King Rehoboam asked the elders who had ·advised [served; attended] Solomon during his lifetime, “How do you ·think I should [advise/counsel me to] answer these people?”
7 They said, “You should be like a servant to them today. If you serve them and ·give them a kind answer [L speak good words], they will serve you always.”
8 But Rehoboam ·rejected this advice [L disregarded/forsook the counsel given by the elders]. Instead, he asked the young men who had grown up with him and who served ·as his advisers [L him]. 9 Rehoboam asked them, “What is your ·advice [counsel]? How should we answer these people who said, ‘·Don’t make us work as hard as your father did’ [L Lighten the yoke that your father put on us]?”
10 The young men who had grown up with him answered, “Those people said to you, ‘Your father ·forced us to work very hard [L made our yoke heavy]. Now make our work ·easier [lighter].’ You should tell them, ‘My little finger is ·bigger [thicker] than my father’s ·legs [L loins; C more manly]. 11 ·He forced you to work hard [L My father loaded/burdened you with a heavy yoke], but I will ·make you work even harder [L add to your yoke]. My father ·beat [scourged; disciplined; controlled] you with whips, but I will ·beat [scourge; discipline; control] you with ·whips that have sharp points [or scorpions].’”
12 After three days Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam as the king had ordered. 13 King Rehoboam spoke ·cruel [harsh] words to them, because he had ·rejected the advice [disregarded the counsel] the elders had given him. 14 He followed the ·advice [counsel] of the young men and said to the people, “My father ·forced you to work hard [L loaded/burdened you with a heavy yoke], but I will ·make you work even harder [L add to your yoke]. My father ·beat [scourged; disciplined; controlled] you with whips, but I will ·beat [scourge; discipline; control] you with ·whips that have sharp points [or scorpions].” 15 So the king did not listen to the people. The Lord caused this ·to happen [L turn (of events)] to ·keep the promise [L fulfill/establish the word/message] he had made to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah, a prophet from Shiloh [11:11–12, 29–31].
16 When all ·the Israelites [L Israel] saw that the new king refused to listen to them, they said to the king,
“·We have no share [L What portion do we have…?] in David!
We have no ·part [L inheritance] in the son of Jesse!
·People of Israel, let’s go to our own homes [L To your tents, Israel]!
·Let David’s son rule his own people [L Look out for your own house, David]!”
So the Israelites went ·home [L to their tents]. 17 But Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.
18 ·Adoniram[a] [C Hebrew: Adoram] was in charge of the ·forced labor [or labor force; 2 Sam. 20:24; 1 Kin. 4:6]. When Rehoboam sent him to the people of Israel, they ·threw stones at him until he died [stoned him to death]. But King Rehoboam ran to his chariot and ·escaped [fled] to Jerusalem. 19 Since then, Israel has ·been against [refused to be ruled by; been in rebellion against] the family of David.
20 When all ·the Israelites [L Israel] heard that Jeroboam had returned, they called ·him to a meeting [an assembly] and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah ·continued to follow [stayed loyal to] the ·family [L house] of David.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he ·gathered [mobilized; assembled] one hundred eighty thousand of the ·best [elite; select] soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. As son of Solomon, Rehoboam wanted to fight the ·people [L house] of Israel to ·take back [restore] his kingdom.
22 But ·God spoke his word [L the word of God came] to Shemaiah, ·a [or the] man of God [C a prophet], saying, 23 “·Speak [Say] to Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the ·people [L house] of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the people. Say to them, 24 ‘·The Lord says [T Thus says the Lord,] you must not go to war against your ·brothers [relatives], the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. Every one of you should go home, because ·I made all these things happen [this has come from me; this is my doing].’” So they ·obeyed the Lord’s command [L listened to the word of the Lord] and went home ·as the Lord had commanded [in accordance with his word].
25 Then Jeroboam ·built up [fortified] Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and he lived there. He also went out and ·built up [fortified] the city of Peniel.
Jeroboam Builds Golden Calves
26 Jeroboam said ·to himself [L in his heart], “The kingdom will probably ·go back [revert] to David’s ·family [L house]. 27 If the people continue going to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, ·they will want to be ruled again by [L the heart of the people will return to] Rehoboam king of Judah. Then they will kill me and ·follow [return to] Rehoboam king of Judah.”
28 King Jeroboam asked for advice. Then he made two golden calves [C on the model of Aaron’s calf; Ex. 32]. “It is too ·long a journey [much] for you to go to Jerusalem [C to worship],” he said to the people. “Israel, here are your gods [or this is your God; C it is possible that the image was associated with the false worship of the true God] who brought you out of Egypt.” 29 Jeroboam put one golden calf in the city of Bethel and the other in the city of Dan [C at opposite ends of his kingdom]. 30 This became a very great sin, because the people traveled as far as Dan[b] [C in the north] to worship the calf there.
31 Jeroboam built ·temples [L houses] on the ·places of worship [L high places; 3:2]. He also chose priests from all the people, not just from the tribe of Levi [C a violation of God’s command; cf. Num. 3:10]. 32 And he started a new festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival in Judah [C the Feast of Shelters; he was trying to imitate Israel’s way of worship]. During that time the king ·offered sacrifices on [went up to] the altar, along with sacrifices to the calves in Bethel he had made. He also chose priests in Bethel to serve at the ·places of worship [L high places; 3:2] he had made. 33 So Jeroboam ·chose his own time [devised in his own heart the month] for a festival for the Israelites—the fifteenth day of the eighth month. During that time he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built in Bethel. He ·set up [instituted] a festival for the Israelites and ·offered sacrifices [burned incense] on the altar.
The Man of God Speaks Against Bethel
13 ·The Lord commanded [L By the word of the Lord] a man of God from Judah ·to go [went up] to Bethel. When he arrived, Jeroboam was standing by the altar to ·offer a sacrifice [burn incense]. 2 ·The Lord had commanded [L By the word of the Lord] the man of God ·to speak [spoke] against the altar. The man said, “Altar, altar, the Lord says to you: ‘David’s ·family [L house] will ·have [have born] a son named Josiah. The priests ·for the places of worship [L of the high places; 3:2] now ·make their sacrifices [burn incense] on you, but Josiah will sacrifice those priests on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” 3 That same day the man of God gave ·proof [a sign] that these things would happen. “This is the Lord’s sign that this will happen,” he said. “This altar will break apart, and the ashes on it will ·fall to the ground [spill; be poured out; 2 Kin. 23:15–16].”
4 When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God said ·about [against] the altar in Bethel, the king raised his hand from the altar and pointed at the man. “·Take [Seize] him!” he said. But when the king said this, his ·arm [or hand] ·was paralyzed [withered; dried up], and he could not ·move it [pull it back]. 5 The altar also broke into pieces, and its ashes ·fell to the ground [spilled; poured out]. This was the sign the ·Lord had told the man of God to give [L man had given by the word of the Lord].
6 Then the king said to the man of God, “Please ·pray to [intercede with; entreat] the Lord your God for me, and ask him to ·heal my arm [or restore my hand].”
So the man of God ·prayed to [interceded with; entreated] the Lord, and the king’s ·arm was healed [or hand was restored], becoming as it was before.
7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Please come home and ·eat with me [refresh yourself], and I will give you a gift.”
8 But the man of God answered the king, “Even if you gave me half of your ·kingdom [possessions; L house], I would not go with you. I will not ·eat or drink [L eat bread or drink water] in this place. 9 The ·Lord [L word of the Lord] commanded me not to ·eat or drink [L eat bread or drink water] nor to return on the same road by which I came.” 10 So he took a different road and did not return on the same road by which he had come to Bethel.
11 Now an old prophet was living in Bethel. His sons came and told him what the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to King Jeroboam. 12 The father asked, “Which road did he use when he left?” So his sons showed him the road the man of God from Judah had taken. 13 Then the prophet told his sons to put a saddle on his donkey. So they saddled the donkey, and he ·left [mounted it].
14 He went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. The prophet asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
The man answered, “Yes, I am.”
15 The prophet said, “Please come home and ·eat [L eat bread] with me.”
16 “I can’t go home with you,” the man of God answered. “I can’t ·eat or drink [L eat bread or drink water] with you in this place. 17 The Lord said to me, ‘Don’t ·eat or drink [L eat bread or drink water] there or return on the same road by which you came.’”
18 Then the old prophet said, “But I also am a prophet, like you.” Then he lied. “An angel from the Lord came to me and told me to bring you to my home. He said you should ·eat and drink [L eat bread and drink water] with me.” 19 So the man of God went to the old prophet’s house, and he ate ·and drank [L bread and drank water] with him there.
20 While they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke his word to the ·old prophet [L prophet who had brought him back]. 21 ·The old prophet [L He] cried out to the man of God from Judah, “·The Lord said [T Thus says the Lord,] you ·did not obey him! He said you did not do what the Lord your God commanded you […have defied the Lord’s command]. 22 The Lord commanded you not to ·eat or drink [L eat bread or drink water] in this place, but you came back and ·ate and drank [L ate bread and drank water]. So your body will not ·be buried in your family grave [L come to the grave/tomb of your ancestors].”
23 After the man of God finished eating [L bread] and drinking, the prophet put a saddle on his donkey [C possibly the old prophet’s own donkey] for him, and the man left. 24 As he was traveling home, a lion ·attacked [L met] and killed him. His body lay on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing nearby. 25 Some men who were traveling by saw the body on the road and the lion standing nearby. So they went to the city [C Bethel] where the old prophet lived and told what they had seen.
26 The old prophet who had brought back the man of God heard what had happened. “It is the man of God who did not obey the Lord’s command,” he said. “So the Lord sent a lion to kill him, ·just as he said he would [L according to the word of the Lord].”
27 Then the prophet said to his sons, “Put a saddle on my donkey,” and they saddled it. 28 The old prophet went out and found the body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion still standing nearby. The lion had not eaten the body or ·hurt [attacked; mauled] the donkey. 29 The prophet put the body on his donkey and carried it back to the city to ·have a time of sadness for him [mourn] and to bury him. 30 The prophet ·buried [laid] the body in his own family ·grave [tomb], and they ·were sad for [mourned over] the man of God and said, “·Oh [Alas; Woe], my brother.”
31 After the prophet buried the body, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in ·this same grave [L the grave in which the man of God is buried]. ·Put [Lay] my bones next to his. 32 Through him the Lord ·spoke [cried; proclaimed] against the altar at Bethel and against the ·places of worship [shrines/L houses of the high places; 3:2] in the towns of Samaria. What the Lord spoke through him will certainly come ·true [to pass].”
33 After this ·incident [event] King Jeroboam did not ·stop [turn from] doing evil. He continued to choose priests for the ·places of worship [L high places; 3:2] from among all the people [12:31]. Anyone who wanted to be a priest for the ·places of worship [L high places] ·was allowed [he appointed/ordained] to be one. 34 In this way the ·family [L house] of Jeroboam sinned, and this sin caused its ·ruin [downfall] and destruction from the face of the earth.
Jeroboam’s Son Dies
14 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became very sick. 2 So Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go to Shiloh to see the prophet Ahijah. He is the one who said I would become king of Israel. But ·dress [disguise] yourself so people won’t know you are my wife. 3 Take the prophet ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.” 4 So the king’s wife did as he said and went to Ahijah’s home in Shiloh.
Now Ahijah was very old and ·blind [L his eyes were dim]. 5 The Lord said to him, “Jeroboam’s son is sick, and Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about him. When she arrives, she will pretend to be ·someone else [another woman].” Then the Lord told Ahijah ·what to say [to say such and such/thus and thus].
6 When Ahijah heard her walking to the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you pretending to be ·someone else [another woman]? I have ·bad [heavy] news for you. 7 Go back and tell Jeroboam ·that this is what [T thus says] the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jeroboam, I ·chose [exalted; raised; promoted] you from among all the people and made you the leader of my people Israel. 8 I ·tore [ripped] the kingdom away from David’s ·family [L house], and I gave it to you. But you ·are not [have not been] like my servant David, who always obeyed my commands and followed me with all his heart. He did only what ·I said was right [L what was right in my eyes/sight]. 9 But you have done more evil than ·anyone who ruled [all who were] before you. You have ·quit following me [turned your back on me; L thrown me behind your back] and have made other gods and idols of metal. This has ·made me very angry [provoked/aroused my anger], 10 so I will soon bring ·disaster [calamity] to ·your family [L the house of Jeroboam]. I will ·kill [L cut off] all the men ·in your family [L from Jeroboam], both ·slaves [bond] and free men. I will ·destroy [or sweep away] your family as ·completely as fire burns up [or one sweeps away] ·manure [dung]. 11 Anyone from your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the ·fields [country] will be eaten by the ·birds [vultures; L birds of the air/sky]. The Lord has spoken.’”
12 Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam’s wife, “Go home now. As soon as you enter your city, ·your son [the child/boy] will die, 13 and all Israel will ·be sad [mourn] for him and bury him. He is the only one of Jeroboam’s family who will ·be buried [have a proper burial; L come to the grave], because he is the only one in ·the king’s family [L Jeroboam’s house] ·who pleased the Lord, the God of Israel [in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, found something good].
14 “The Lord will ·put [raise up] a new king over Israel, who will ·destroy [L cut off] Jeroboam’s ·family [L house], ·and this will happen soon [from this day on; L this day, what, even now?; C the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain]. 15 Then the Lord will ·punish [shake; L strike] Israel, which will be like reeds ·swaying [shaking] in the water. The Lord will ·pull up [uproot] Israel from this good land, the land he gave their ancestors. He will scatter Israel beyond the Euphrates River, because he is angry with the people. They ·made the Lord angry [aroused/provoked the Lord to anger] when they set up ·idols to worship Asherah [L Asherahs; C sacred trees or poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah]. 16 Jeroboam sinned, and then he made the people of Israel sin. So the Lord will ·let the people of Israel be defeated [abandon/give up Israel].”
17 Then Jeroboam’s wife left and returned to Tirzah. As ·soon as she entered [L she crossed the threshold of] her home, the boy died. 18 After they buried him, all Israel ·had a time of sadness [mourned] for him, ·just as the Lord had said [according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke] ·through [L by the hand of] his servant, the prophet Ahijah.
19 Everything else Jeroboam did, his wars and how he ruled, ·is [L is it not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals] of the kings of Israel [C a history book now lost]. 20 He served [reigned] as king for twenty-two years. Then he ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors], and his son Nadab ·became king [reigned] in his place.
The Death of Rehoboam(B)
21 Solomon’s son Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king of Judah. His mother was Naamah from Ammon. Rehoboam ·ruled [reigned] in Jerusalem for seventeen years. (The Lord had chosen that city from all the ·land [L tribes] of Israel ·as the place where he would be worshiped [L in which to put his name].)
22 The people of Judah did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Their sins ·made the Lord very angry, even more angry than he had been at what [provoked/aroused his resentment/jealousy more than anything] their ancestors had done. 23 The people built ·places to worship gods [L high places; 3:2] and pillars and Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:15] on every high hill and under every ·green [luxuriant; spreading] tree. 24 There were even male prostitutes [C associated with pagan cults] in the land. They ·acted like [imitated/committed the detestable acts/abominations of] the people God had ·driven out of [dispossessed from] the land before the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].
25 During the fifth year Rehoboam was king, Shishak king of Egypt [C ruler of Egypt 935–914 bc] ·attacked [came against] Jerusalem. 26 He took the treasures from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and the king’s ·palace [L house]. He took everything, even the gold shields Solomon had made. 27 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to put in their place and ·gave [entrusted; committed] them to the commanders of the guards for the ·palace gates [L doorway/entrance of the king’s house]. 28 Whenever the king went to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, the guards carried the shields. Later, they would put them back in the guardroom.
29 ·Everything [L Is not everything…?] else King Rehoboam did is written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Judah. 30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam ·the whole time [continually; constantly]. 31 Rehoboam, son of Naamah from Ammon, ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried with his ·ancestors [fathers] in the City of David [C Jerusalem], and his son Abijam[c] [C a pejorative name for Abijah; see 15:1] became king in his place.
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