I Kings 12

1. And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

2. And it came to pass when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard this, he was still in Egypt; for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, and Jeroboam lived 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 hard. And now lighten the hard service of your father and the heavy yoke which he put upon us, and we will serve you.”

5. And he said to them, “Go; yet in three days come back to me.” And the people went away.

6. And King Rehoboam talked with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father while he still lived, and said, “What counsel do you give me to answer this people?”

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

8. But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had advised him, and talked with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

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

10. And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “So shall you speak to this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us,’ so you shall say to them, ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins.

11. And now my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, and I will add to your yoke. My father has whipped you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’ ”

12. And they came, Jeroboam and all the people 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 spurned the old men’s advice which they advised him,

14. And spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father whipped you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

15. And the king did not hearken to the people, for the cause was from the LORD, that He might perform His saying which the LORD spoke by Ahijah of Shiloh to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16. And all Israel saw that the king did not hearken to them, and the people answered the king, saying, “What part do we have in David? Yea, there is no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, O David!” And Israel went to its tents.

17. As for the children of Israel, those living in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

18. And King Rehoboam sent Adoram who was over the tribute. And all Israel stoned him with stones so that he died. And King Rehoboam made haste to get up to his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

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

20. And it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. There was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

21. And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, then he gathered all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand 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 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 to the rest of the people, saying,

24. ‘Thus says the LORD, “You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers the children of Israel. Each man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.” ’ ” And they hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD and returned, according to the word of the LORD.

25. And Jeroboam built Shechem on Mount Ephraim and lived on it, and went from there and built Penuel.

26. And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may well 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 to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and return again to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

28. Then 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 your gods, O, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

29. And he set the one in Bethel, and he put the other in Dan.

30. And this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one, even to Dan.

31. And he made houses of worship on the high places and made priests of the lowest of the people, who were not the sons of Levi.

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

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 devised out of his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel. And he offered upon the altar and burned incense.