1 Kings 12

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 Rehoboam then went to Shechem, al Israel having come to Shechem to proclaim him king.	1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
2 (As soon as Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news -- he was stil in Egypt, where he had taken refugefrom King Solomon -- he returned from Egypt.	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 They now sent for him, and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came.) And they spoke asfol ows to Rehoboam,	3 That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
4 'Your father laid a cruel yoke on us; if you wil lighten your father's cruel slavery, that heavy yoke whichhe imposed on us, we are wil ing to serve you.'	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 He said to them, 'Go away for three days and then come back to me.' And the people went away.	5 And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
6 King Rehoboam then consulted the elders who had been in attendance on his father Solomon while hewas alive, and said, 'How do you advise me to answer this people?'	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 They replied, 'If you become the servant of this people today, and submit to them and give them a fairreply, then they wil remain your servants for ever.'	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 rejected the advice given him by the elders and consulted the young men in attendance on him,who had grown up with him.	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 He said, 'How do you advise us to answer these people who have been saying, "Lighten the yokewhich your father imposed on us!"? '	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 The young men who had grown up with him replied, 'This is the way to answer these people whohave been saying, "Your father made our yoke heavy, you must lighten it for us!" This is the right thing to say tothem, "My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.	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 Although my father laid a heavy yoke on you, I shall make it heavier stil . My father controlled you withthe whip, but I shall apply a spiked lash!" '	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 On the third day Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam in obedience to the king'sinstruction: 'Come back to me in three days' time.'	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 gave the people a harsh answer, rejecting the advice given him by the elders	13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him;
14 and speaking to them as the young men had recommended, 'My father made your yoke heavy, I shallmake it heavier stil ! My father control ed you with the whip, but I shall apply a spiked lash!'	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 Thus the king refused to listen to the people, and this was brought about by Yahweh to fulfil thepromise which he had made through Ahijah of Shiloh to Jeroboam son of Nebat.	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 When al Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king thus: Whatshare have we in David? -No heritage in the son of Jesse! Away to your tents, Israel! Now look after your ownHouse, David! So Israel went home again.	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 Rehoboam, however, reigned over those Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.	17 But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
18 When King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of forced labour, all Israel stoned him todeath, while King Rehoboam managed to mount his chariot and escape to Jerusalem.	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 And Israel has remained in rebel ion against the House of David from that day to this.	19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.
20 When al Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and madehim king of al Israel; no one remained loyal to the House of David, except the tribe of Judah.	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 When Rehoboam reached Jerusalem he mustered the whole House of Judah and the tribe ofBenjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand picked warriors, to fight the House of Israel and win back the kingdomfor Rehoboam son of Solomon.	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 Yahweh came to Shemaiah, man of God,	22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
23 'Say this to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, to the whole House of Judah, to Benjamin andto the rest of the people,	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 "Yahweh says this: Do not go and make war on your brothers, the Israelites; let everyone go home,for this is my doing." ' They obeyed the command of Yahweh and turned back in accordance with his word.	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 Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the mountain country of Ephraim and made that his residence. Then,leaving there, he fortified Penuel.	25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
26 Jeroboam thought to himself, 'As things are, the kingdom wil revert to the House of David.	26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
27 If this people continues to go up to the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, thepeople's heart will turn back again to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they wil put me to death.'	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 So the king thought this over and then made two golden calves; he said to the people, 'You havebeen going up to Jerusalem long enough. Here is your God, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt!'	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 He set one up at Bethel,	29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
30 and the people went in procession in front of the other one al the way to Dan. In Israel this gave riseto sin, for the people went to Bethel to worship the one, and all the way to Dan to worship the other.	30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
31 He set up shrines on the high places and appointed priests from ordinary families, who were not oflevitical descent.	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 Jeroboam also instituted a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth of the month, like the feast keptin Judah, when he offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did at Bethel, offering sacrifices to the calves which hehad made and, at Bethel, instal ing the priests of the high places which he had set up.	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 On the fifteenth of the eighth month, the month which he had chosen deliberately, he offeredsacrifices on the altar which he had made at Bethel; he instituted a feast for the Israelites and himself went up tothe altar to burn the sacrifice.	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.