Israel Pleads for a Lighter Yoke
Israel asks Rehoboam to lighten his father's yoke; he takes his friends' advice and promises scorpions instead. Ten tribes walk away and crown Jeroboam — our Father's own doing — who then makes two gold calves at Bethel and Dan so no one goes back to Jerusalem.
12 1Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it—he was still in Egypt, where he'd fled from King Solomon, and stayed there. 3They sent and called him. Jeroboam and all Israel's assembly came and said to Rehoboam: 4"Your father made our yoke harsh. Now lighten your father's harsh labor and heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you."
5He told them, "Leave for three days, then return to me." So the people left.
6King Rehoboam consulted the elders who served his father Solomon while he lived. "How do you advise me to answer these people?" he asked.
7They replied, "If today you serve these people, answer them kindly, they will be your servants forever."
8But he rejected the elders' advice and consulted the young men who grew up with him and served him. 9He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who said to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?"
10The young men who grew up with him replied, "Tell these people who said to you, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it'—tell them this: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.' 11My father laid a heavy yoke on you; I will make it heavier. My father disciplined you with whips; I'll discipline you with scorpions."
12Three days later Jeroboam and all the people came back to Rehoboam, as the king had said, "Come back to me in three days." 13The king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice the elders had given him, 14and spoke to them as the young men advised: "My father made your yoke heavy; I'll make it heavier. My father disciplined you with whips; I'll discipline you with scorpions."
15So the king ignored the people, for this turn of events came from our Father, fulfilling the word our Father spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
16When all Israel saw the king refused to listen to them, they answered him: "What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in Jesse's son! To your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David!" So Israel went home to their tents.
17But Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah. 18King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who oversaw forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. 19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
20When all Israel heard Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
21When Rehoboam reached Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen fighters—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22But the word of our Father came to Shemaiah, the man of our Father:
23"Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people:
24"This is what our Father says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for this is from me." So they obeyed his word and turned back home, as he said.
Jeroboam Builds Idols at Bethel and Dan
25Jeroboam built Shechem in Ephraim's hill country and lived there. From there he went out and built Penuel. 26Jeroboam thought to himself, "Now the kingdom could revert to the house of David. 27If these people go up to sacrifice at the house of our Father in Jerusalem, their hearts will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah." 28After seeking advice, the king made two gold calves. He told the people, "Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." 29He set up one in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30This became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31Jeroboam built shrines on the high places and made priests from all sorts of people, not Levites. 32Jeroboam set up a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like Judah's festival, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made, and there installed priests for the high places he had made. 33On the fifteenth day of the eighth month—a month he devised himself—he went up to the altar he built at Bethel, and he set up a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to burn incense.
