12Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the people of northern Israel had gathered to make him king.H7346H3212H7927H3478H935H7927H4427 2When Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had gone to Egypt to escape from King Solomon, heard this news, he returned from Egypt.H3379H1121H5028H4714H8085H1272H6440H4428H8010H3379H3427H4714 3The people of the northern tribes sent for him, and then they all went together to Rehoboam and said to him,H7971H7121H3379H6951H3478H935H1696H7346H559 4"Your father Solomon treated us harshly and placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects."H1H7185H5923H7185H7186H5656H1H3515H5923H5414H7043H5647 5"Come back in three days and I will give you my answer," he replied. So they left.H559H3212H7969H3117H7725H5971H3212 6King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served as his father Solomon's advisers. "What answer do you advise me to give these people?" he asked.H4428H7346H3289H2205H5975H6440H8010H1H2416H559H3289H7725H1697H5971 7They replied, "If you want to serve this people well, give a favorable answer to their request, and they will always serve you loyally."H1696H559H5650H5971H3117H5647H6030H1696H2896H1697H5650H3117 8But he ignored the advice of the older men and went instead to the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers.H5800H6098H2205H3289H3289H3206H1431H5975H6440 9"What do you advise me to do?" he asked. "What shall I say to the people who are asking me to make their burdens lighter?"H559H3289H7725H1697H5971H1696H559H7043H5923H1H5414H7043 10They replied, "This is what you should tell them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!'H3206H1431H1696H559H559H5971H1696H559H1H3513H5923H3513H7043H1696H6995H5666H1H4975 11Tell them, 'My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!' "H1H6006H3515H5923H3254H5923H1H3256H7752H3256H6137 12Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to King Rehoboam, as he had instructed them.H3379H5971H935H7346H7992H3117H4428H1696H559H7725H7992H3117 13The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the people,H4428H6030H5971H7186H5800H2205H6098H3289 14as the younger men had advised. He said, "My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!"H1696H6098H3206H559H1H3513H5923H3513H3254H5923H1H3256H7752H3256H6137 15It was the will of the LORD to bring about what he had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. This is why the king did not pay any attention to the people.H4428H8085H5971H5438H3068H6965H1697H3068H1696H3027H281H7888H3379H1121H5028 16When the people saw that the king would not listen to them, they shouted, "Down with David and his family! What have they ever done for us? People of Israel, let's go home! Let Rehoboam look out for himself !" So the people of Israel rebelled,H7725H3478H7200H4428H8085H5971H1697H4428H559H2506H1732H5159H1121H3448H168H3478H7200H1004H1732H3478H3212H168 17leaving Rehoboam as king only of the people who lived in the territory of Judah.H1121H3478H3427H5892H3063H7346H4427 18Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the forced labor, to go to the Israelites, but they stoned him to death. At this, Rehoboam hurriedly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.H4428H7346H7971H151H4522H3478H7275H68H4191H4428H7346H553H5927H4818H5127H3389 19Ever since that time the people of the northern kingdom of Israel have been in rebellion against the dynasty of David.H3478H6586H1004H1732H3117 20When the people of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned from Egypt, they invited him to a meeting of the people and made him king of Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David's descendants.H3478H8085H3379H7725H7971H7121H5712H4427H3478H310H1004H1732H2108H7626H3063 21When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he called together 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He intended to go to war and restore his control over the northern tribes of Israel.H7346H935H3389H6950H1004H3063H7626H1144H3967H8084H505H977H6213H4421H3898H1004H3478H7725H4410H7725H7346H1121H8010 22But God told the prophet ShemaiahH1697H430H8098H376H430H559 23to give this message to Rehoboam and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin:H559H7346H1121H8010H4428H3063H1004H3063H1144H3499H5971H559 24"Do not attack your own relatives, the people of Israel. Go home, all of you. What has happened is my will." They all obeyed the LORD's command and went back home.H559H3068H5927H3898H251H1121H3478H7725H376H1004H1697H1961H8085H1697H3068H7725H3212H1697H3068 25King Jeroboam of Israel fortified the town of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there for a while. Then he left and fortified the town of Penuel.H3379H1129H7927H2022H669H3427H3318H1129H6439 26He said to himself, "As things are now, if my people go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to the LORD in the Temple there,H3379H559H3820H4467H7725H1004H1732 27they will transfer their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah and will kill me."H5971H5927H6213H2077H1004H3068H3389H3820H5971H7725H113H7346H4428H3063H2026H7725H7346H4428H3063 28After thinking it over, he made two bull-calves of gold and said to his people, "You have been going long enough to Jerusalem to worship. People of Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt!"H4428H3289H6213H8147H5695H2091H559H7227H5927H3389H430H3478H5927H776H4714 29He placed one of the gold bull-calves in Bethel and the other in Dan.H7760H259H1008H259H5414H1835 30And so the people sinned, going to worship in Bethel and in Dan.H1697H2403H5971H3212H6440H259H1835 31Jeroboam also built places of worship on hilltops, and he chose priests from families who were not of the tribe of Levi.H6213H1004H1116H6213H3548H7098H5971H1121H3878 32Jeroboam also instituted a religious festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival in Judah. On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the gold bull-calves he had made, and he placed there in Bethel the priests serving at the places of worship he had built.H3379H6213H2282H8066H2320H2568H6240H3117H2320H2282H3063H5927H4196H6213H1008H2076H5695H6213H5975H1008H3548H1116H6213 33And on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the day that he himself had set, he went to Bethel and offered a sacrifice on the altar in celebration of the festival he had instituted for the people of Israel.H5927H4196H6213H1008H2568H6240H3117H8066H2320H2320H908H3820H6213H2282H1121H3478H5927H4196H6999
