12REHOBOAM WENT to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.H7346H3212H7927H3478H935H7927H4427 2And when Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it--for he still dwelt in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon--[he] returned from Egypt.H3379H1121H5028H4714H8085H1272H6440H4428H8010H3379H3427H4714 3And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam,H7971H7121H3379H6951H3478H935H1696H7346H559 4Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore lighten the hard service and the heavy yoke your father put upon us, and we will serve you.H1H7185H5923H7185H7186H5656H1H3515H5923H5414H7043H5647 5He replied, Go away for three days and then return to me. So the people departed.H559H3212H7969H3117H7725H5971H3212 6And King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived and said, How do you advise me to answer this people?H4428H7346H3289H2205H5975H6440H8010H1H2416H559H3289H7725H1697H5971 7And they said to him, If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them and answer them with good words, they will be your servants forever.H1696H559H5650H5971H3117H5647H6030H1696H2896H1697H5650H3117 8But he forsook the counsel the old men gave him and consulted the young men who grew up with him and stood before him.H5800H6098H2205H3289H3289H3206H1431H5975H6440 9He said to them, What do you advise that we answer this people who have said, Make the yoke your father put on us lighter?H559H3289H7725H1697H5971H1696H559H7043H5923H1H5414H7043 10The young men who grew up with him answered, To the people who told you, Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us--say this, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.H3206H1431H1696H559H559H5971H1696H559H1H3513H5923H3513H7043H1696H6995H5666H1H4975 11And now whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.H1H6006H3515H5923H3254H5923H1H3256H7752H3256H6137 12So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had appointed.H3379H5971H935H7346H7992H3117H4428H1696H559H7725H7992H3117 13And the king answered the people roughly and forsook the counsel the old men had given him,H4428H6030H5971H7186H5800H2205H6098H3289 14And spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; he chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.H1696H6098H3206H559H1H3513H5923H3513H3254H5923H1H3256H7752H3256H6137 15So the king did not hearken to the people, for the situation was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word which He spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.H4428H8085H5971H5438H3068H6965H1697H3068H1696H3027H281H7888H3379H1121H5028 16So when all Israel saw that the king did not heed them, they answered the king, What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David! So Israel went to their tents.H7725H3478H7200H4428H8085H5971H1697H4428H559H2506H1732H5159H1121H3448H168H3478H7200H1004H1732H3478H3212H168 17But Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites who dwelt in the cities of Judah.H1121H3478H3427H5892H3063H7346H4427 18Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute [taskmaster over the forced labor], and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. So King Rehoboam hastened to get into his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.H4428H7346H7971H151H4522H3478H7275H68H4191H4428H7346H553H5927H4818H5127H3389 19So Israel has rebelled against the house of David to this day.H3478H6586H1004H1732H3117 20When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah only.H3478H8085H3379H7725H7971H7121H5712H4427H3478H310H1004H1732H2108H7626H3063 21And when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam son of Solomon.H7346H935H3389H6950H1004H3063H7626H1144H3967H8084H505H977H6213H4421H3898H1004H3478H7725H4410H7725H7346H1121H8010 22But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,H1697H430H8098H376H430H559 23Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and all the house of Judah and Benjamin and the remnant of the people,H559H7346H1121H8010H4428H3063H1004H3063H1144H3499H5971H559 24Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your brethren, the Israelites. Return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me. So they hearkened to the Lord's word and returned home, according to the Lord's word.H559H3068H5927H3898H251H1121H3478H7725H376H1004H1697H1961H8085H1697H3068H7725H3212H1697H3068 25Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. He went out from there and built Penuel.H3379H1129H7927H2022H669H3427H3318H1129H6439 26Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.H3379H559H3820H4467H7725H1004H1732 27If this people goes up to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to sacrifice, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.H5971H5927H6213H2077H1004H3068H3389H3820H5971H7725H113H7346H4428H3063H2026H7725H7346H4428H3063 28So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, It is too much for you to go [all the way] up to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.H4428H3289H6213H8147H5695H2091H559H7227H5927H3389H430H3478H5927H776H4714 29And he set the one golden calf in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.H7760H259H1008H259H5414H1835 30And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship each of them even as far as Dan.H1697H2403H5971H3212H6440H259H1835 31Jeroboam also made houses on high places and made priests of people who were not Levites.H6213H1004H1116H6213H3548H7098H5971H1121H3878 32And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast kept in Judah, and he offered sacrifices upon the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places he had made.H3379H6213H2282H8066H2320H2568H6240H3117H2320H2282H3063H5927H4196H6213H1008H2076H5695H6213H5975H1008H3548H1116H6213 33So he offered upon the altar he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a date which he chose individually; and he appointed a feast for the Israelites and he went up to the altar to burn incense [in defiance of God's law.]H5927H4196H6213H1008H2568H6240H3117H8066H2320H2320H908H3820H6213H2282H1121H3478H5927H4196H6999
Dublin, OH
