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Chapter 12 |
| 1 | And Rehoboam
went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
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| 2 | And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in
Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and
Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;) |
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3 | That they sent and called him. And
Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam,
saying, |
| 4 |
Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the
grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us,
lighter, and we will serve thee. |
| 5 | And he said unto them, Depart
yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed. |
| 6 |
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his
father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this
people? |
| 7 |
And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant
unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good
words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. |
| 8 | But he forsook
the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the
young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him: |
| 9 |
And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who
have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us
lighter? |
| 10
| And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto
him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee,
saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus
shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's
loins. |
| 11
| And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke,
I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will
chastise you with scorpions. |
|
12 | So Jeroboam and all the people came to
Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the
third day. |
| 13
| And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the
old men's counsel that they gave him; |
| 14 | And spake to them after the
counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will
add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise
you with scorpions. |
| 15 | Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the
people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying,
which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of
Nebat. |
| 16
| So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto
them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David?
neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now
see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. |
| 17 |
But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam
reigned over them. |
| 18 | Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over
the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore
king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to
Jerusalem. |
| 19
| So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this
day. |
| 20 |
And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was
come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him
king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the
tribe of Judah only. |
| 21 | And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he
assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and
fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house
of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
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| 22 | But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
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| 23 | Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the
house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,
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| 24 | Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren
the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from
me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart,
according to the word of the LORD. |
| 25 | Then Jeroboam built Shechem
in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built
Penuel. |
| 26
| And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom
return to the house of David: |
|
27 | If this people go up to do sacrifice
in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn
again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill
me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. |
|
28 | Whereupon the king took
counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for
you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out
of the land of Egypt. |
| 29 | And he set the one in Bethel, and the other
put he in Dan. |
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30 | And this thing became a sin: for the people went to
worship before the one, even unto Dan. |
| 31 | And he made an house of high
places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the
sons of Levi. |
|
32 | And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month,
on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he
offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that
he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he
had made. |
| 33
| So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel
the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised
of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he
offered upon the altar, and burnt incense. |
