King James Version

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 son of Nebat heard, while he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from the face of King Solomon, that Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt. 3 And they sent and called to him, and they came, and Jeroboam came, and all the assembly of Israel, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying. 4 Your father made our burden heavier, but now you lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve you. 5 And he said to them, "Go again in three days and return to me," and the people went. 6 And King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had stood before his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you advise to respond to this people?" 7 And he spoke to me, saying, "If today you will be a servant to this people and serve them and answer them and speak to them good things, then they will be your servants all the days." 8 And he left the advice of the elders who advised him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and who stood before him. 9 And he said to them, "What are you advising, and I shall answer the word to this people that they have spoken to me, saying, 'Make the yoke lighter than the burden which your father put upon us.'" 10 And the children who grew up with me spoke to me, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us.' Thus you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.' 11 And now my father has imposed a heavy burden upon you, and I will add to your burden; my father will discipline you with whips, and I will discipline you with scorpions. 12 And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, "Return to me on the third day." 13 And the king answered the people harshly and forsook the advice of the elders who advised him. 14 And he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions." 15 And the king did not listen to the people, for it was a cause from the LORD to establish His word which He spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16 And all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, and the people answered the king saying, “What portion do we have in David? And we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, David.” And Israel went to their tents. 17 And the sons of Israel who were living in the cities of Judah, and Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 And King Rehoboam sent Adoram who was over the tribute, and all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 And Israel has sinned in the house of David until this day. 20 And it happened when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel; there was none from the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone. 21 And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and gathered all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, in order to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 And the word of God was to Shemaiah the man of God, saying. 23 Say to Rehoboam 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 and you shall not fight against your brothers, the children of Israel. Return each man to his house, for this thing has happened from Me." And they heard the words of the Lord and they returned to walk according to the word of the Lord. 25 And Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there; then he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David." 27 If this people goes up to make sacrifices in the house of the Lord in Jerusalem and their hearts turn back to their lords, to Rehoboam king of Judah, they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28 And the king consulted and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." 29 And he set one in Bethel and the other he put in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin, and the people went before the one as far as Dan. 31 And he made the places of worship and he made priests from the ends of the people who were not from the sons of Levi. 32 And Jeroboam made a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he offered on the altar. So he did in Bethel, to sacrifice to the calves that he had made, and he appointed priests for the high places that he had made. 33 And he went up on the altar that he made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month that he devised in his own heart, and he made a feast for the children of Israel and he went up on the altar to burn incense.