1 Kings 12

Revised Geneva Translation

12 And Rehoboam went to Shechem. For all Israel had come to Shechem, to make him king.

² And when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, heard of it (who was still in Egypt, where Jeroboam had fled from King Solomon and dwelt in Egypt),

³ they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the Congregation of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

⁴ “Your father made our yoke grievous. Now, therefore, make the grievous servitude of your father and his severe yoke which he put upon us, lighter. And we will serve you.”

⁵ And he said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” And the people departed.

⁶ And King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men who had stood before Solomon, his father, while he still lived, and said, “What counsel do you give, so that I may answer this people?”

⁷ And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are a servant to this people this day, and serve them, and answer them, and speak kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

⁸ But he forsook the counsel that the old men had given him, and asked counsel of the young men who had been brought up with him and waited on him.

⁹ And he said to them, “What counsel do you give, so that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Make the yoke which your father has put upon us lighter’?”

¹⁰ Then the young men who were brought up with him, spoke to him, saying, “Thus shall you say to this people who have spoken to you, and said, ‘Your father has made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter to us.’ Thus shall you say to them, ‘My least part shall be bigger than my father’s loins.

¹¹ ‘Now, whereas my father burdened you with a grievous yoke, I will make your yoke heavier still. My father has chastised you with rods, but I will correct you with scourges.’”

¹² Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, “Come back to me on the third day.”

¹³ And the king answered the people sharply, and left the old men’s counsel that they gave him,

¹⁴ and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke grievous, and I will make your yoke more grievous. My father has chastised you with rods, but I will correct you with scourges.”

¹⁵ And the king did not listen to the people. For it was the Ordinance of the LORD that he might perform his saying which the LORD had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ So, when all Israel saw that the king did not regard them, the people answered the king thus, saying, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own House, David!” So, Israel departed to their tents.

¹⁷ However, Rehoboam still reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.

¹⁸ Now, King Rehoboam sent Adoram, the receiver of the tribute. And all Israel stoned him to death. Then King Rehoboam hurried to get up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

¹⁹ And Israel rebelled against the House of David to this day.

²⁰ And when all Israel had heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one but the tribe of Judah followed the House of David.

²¹ And when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he gathered all the House of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred eighty thousand chosen men (who were good warriors) to fight against the House of Israel, and to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon.

²² But the Word of God came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying:

²³ “Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the House of Judah and Benjamin, and the remnant of the people, saying,

²⁴ ‘Thus says the LORD: “You shall not go up or fight against your brethren, the children of Israel. Every man return to his house. For this thing is done by Me.”’” Therefore, they obeyed the Word of the LORD and returned and departed, according to the Word of the LORD.

²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem on Mount Ephraim and dwelt in it and went from there and built Penuel.

²⁶ And Jeroboam thought in his heart, “Now shall the kingdom return to the House of David.

²⁷ “If this people goes up and does sacrifice in the House of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the hearts of this people turn back to their lord, to Rehoboam, king of Judah. So shall they kill me and go back to Rehoboam, king of Judah.”

²⁸ Upon which the king took counsel and made two calves of gold, and said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Behold, O Israel, your gods which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

²⁹ And he set one in Bethel. And the other he set in Dan.

³⁰ And this thing turned to sin. For the people went (because of the one) as far as Dan.

³¹ Also, he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

³² And Jeroboam made a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the Feast that is in Judah, and offered on the altar. So he did in Bethel, and offered to the calves that he had made. And he placed the priests of the high places which he had made in Bethel.

³³ And he offered upon the altar, which he had made in Bethel, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, (in the month which he had forged of his own heart) and made a solemn feast to the children of Israel. And he went up to the altar, to burn incense.