1 Kings 12

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Rehoboam then went to Shechem, al Israel having come to Shechem to proclaim him king.	1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem. For in that place, all of Israel had gathered to appoint him as 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 Yet truly, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, while he was still in Egypt as a fugitive from the face of king Solomon, hearing of his death, returned from Egypt.
3 They now sent for him, and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came.) And they spoke asfol ows to Rehoboam,	3 And they sent and called him. Therefore, Jeroboam went, with the entire multitude of Israel, and they spoke to 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 “Your father imposed a very harsh yoke upon us. And so, you should now take away a little from the very harsh rule of your father and from his very grievous yoke, which he imposed upon us, and we will serve you.”
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 to them, “Go away, until the third day, and then return to me.” And when the people had gone away,
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 king Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had assisted before his father Solomon while he was still living. And he said, “What counsel do you give to me, so that I may respond to 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 They said to him, “If today you will obey and serve this people, and yield to their petition, and if you will speak lenient words to them, they will be your servants for all days.”
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 abandoned the counsel of the old men, which they had given to him. And he consulted the young men who had been raised with him, and who were assisting 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 to them: “What counsel do you give to me, so that I may respond to this people, who have said to me: ‘Make light the yoke that your father imposed on us?’ ”
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 who had been raised with him, said: “You shall speak in this way to this people, who have spoken to you, saying: ‘Your father weighed down our yoke. You should relieve us.’ You shall say this to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than the back of my father.
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, my father placed a heavy yoke upon you, but I will add more upon your yoke. My father cut you with whips, but I will beat 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 Therefore, Jeroboam and all the people went to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had spoken, saying, “Return to me on 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 responded to the people harshly, leaving behind the counsel of the elders that they had given to 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 he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying: “My father weighed down your yoke, but I will add more to your yoke. My father cut you with whips, but I will beat 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 And the king did not acquiesce to the people. For the Lord had turned him away, so that he might raise up his word, which he had spoken by the hand of Ahijah, the Shilonite, to 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 And so the people, seeing that the king had not been willing to listen to them, responded to him, saying: “What part do we have in David? Or what inheritance do we have in the son of Jesse? Go to your own tents, O Israel. Now David, see to your own house.” And Israel went away to their own tents.
17 Rehoboam, however, reigned over those Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.	17 But over all the sons of Israel who were living in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned.
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 of Israel stoned him, and he died. Therefore, king Rehoboam hurrying, climbed into the chariot, and fled to Jerusalem.
19 And Israel has remained in rebel ion against the House of David from that day to this.	19 And Israel drew away from the house of David, even to the present 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 happened that, when all of Israel had heard that Jeroboam had returned, gathering an assembly, they sent and called him, and they appointed him as king over all of Israel. And no one followed the house of David, except the tribe of Judah alone.
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 Then Rehoboam went to Jerusalem, and he gathered together the entire house of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand elect men of war, so that they might fight against the house of Israel, and might bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon.
22 But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, man of God,	22 But the word of the Lord came to 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 to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah, and to Benjamin, and to the rest 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 says the Lord: You shall not go up, and you shall not make war against your brothers, the sons of Israel. Let each man return to his own house. For this word came from me.’ ” And they listened to the word of the Lord, and they returned from the journey, as the Lord had instructed them.
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 up Shechem, on mount Ephraim, and he lived there. And departing from there, he built up 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 the kingdom will 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 ascend to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem. And the heart of this people will be converted to their lord Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and they will put me to death, and return to him.”
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 And devising a plan, he made two golden calves. And he said to them: “No longer choose to ascend to Jerusalem. Behold, these are your gods, O Israel, who led you away from the land of Egypt!”
29 He set one up at Bethel,	29 And he stationed one in Bethel, and the other 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 word became an occasion of sin. For the people went to adore the calf, even to 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 shrines on the high places, and he made priests out of the lowest people, who 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 he appointed a solemn day in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, in imitation of the solemnity that was celebrated in Judah. And ascending to the altar, he acted similarly in Bethel, so that he immolated to the calves, which he had made. And in Bethel, he appointed 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 And he ascended to the altar, which he had raised up in Bethel, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the day that he had decided in his own heart. And he made a solemnity to the sons of Israel, and he ascended to the altar, so that he might burn incense.