1Ki 12 | NASB2020 | STEP | Then Rehoboam went to Shechem , because all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king .

1 Kings 12

King Rehoboam Acts Foolishly

1 ^aThen Rehoboam went to Shechem, because all Israel had come to ^bShechem to make him king. 2 Now ^cwhen Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard about this, ^{▼▼Lit Jeroboam}he was living in Egypt (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). 3 Then they sent word and summoned him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “ ^eYour father made our yoke hard; but now, lighten the hard labor imposed by your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 Then he said to them, “ ^fDepart ^{▼▼Lit three more}for three days, then return to me.” So the people departed.

6 And King Rehoboam ^hconsulted with the elders who had ^{▼▼Lit stood before}served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7 Then they spoke to him, saying, “ ^jIf you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and ^{▼▼Lit answer them}grant them their request, and speak pleasant words to them, then they will be your servants always.” 8 But he ignored the advice of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him ^{▼▼Lit who stood before}and served him. 9 He said to them, “What advice do you give, so that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” 10 And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “This is what you should say to this people who spoke to you, saying: ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!’ You should speak this way to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! 11 Now then, my father loaded you with a heavy yoke; yet I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with ^{▼▼Prob. a brutal type of whip}scorpions!’”

12 Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ^{▼▼Lit spoken}directed, saying, “ ^oReturn to me on the third day.” 13 And the king answered the people harshly, for he ignored the advice of the elders which they had ^{▼▼Lit advised}given him, 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “ ^qMy father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with ^{▼▼See note v 11}scorpions!” 15 So the king did not listen to the people; ^sbecause it was ^{▼▼Or the providence of the Lord}a turn of events from the Lord, ^uin order to establish His word which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

The Kingdom Divided; Jeroboam Rules Israel

16 When all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, the people replied to the king, saying,

“What share do we have in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;
^vTo your tents, Israel!
Now look after your own house, David!”
So Israel went away to their tents. 17 But ^was for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent ^xAdoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him ^{▼▼Lit with stones that he died}to death. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 ^zSo Israel has broken with the house of David to this day.

20 And it came about, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent word and called him to the assembly, and made him king over all Israel. ^aaNone except the tribe of Judah alone followed the house of David.

21 ^abNow when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to ^acShemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 “Tell Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the ^adrest of the people, saying, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: “You shall not go up nor fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return, every man to his house, ^aefor this thing has come from Me.”’” So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned to go their way in accordance with the word of the Lord.

Jeroboam’s Idolatry

25 Then ^afJeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived ^{▼▼Lit in it}there. And he went out from there and built ^ahPenuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. 27 ^aiIf this people go up to ^{▼▼Lit do}offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king ^{▼▼Lit took counsel}consulted, and he ^almade two golden ^amcalves; and he said to ^{▼▼Lit them}the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; ^aobehold your gods, Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set up ^apone in ^aqBethel, and the other he put in ^arDan. 30 Now ^asthis thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31 And ^athe made houses on high places, and ^{▼▼Lit made
,} ^avappointed priests from ^{▼▼Lit the extremities of the}all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. 32 Jeroboam also ^{▼▼Lit made}instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, ^aylike the feast that is in Judah, and he ^{▼▼Or offered upon}went up to the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel ^bathe priests of the high places which he had made. 33 Then he ^{▼▼Or offered upon}went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, the month that he had ^{▼▼Lit made
,} ^bddevised ^{▼▼Lit from}in his own heart; and he ^{▼▼Lit made}instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and ^{▼▼Or offered upon}went up to the altar ^bhto burn ^{▼▼Or sacrifices}incense.