| Chapter
12 |
| 1 | And
Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him
king. |
| 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;) |
| 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. |
|
22 | But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of
God, saying, |
| 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, |
| 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. |
| 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. |
