1Kings:12-13

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* And Rehoboam went to Shechem : for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king . * 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 ;) * That they sent and called him . And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came , and spake unto Rehoboam , saying , * 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 . * And he said unto them , Depart yet for three days , then come again to me . And the people departed . * 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 ? * 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 . * 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 : * 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 ? * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * And the king answered the people roughly , and forsook the old men 's counsel that they gave him ; * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah , Rehoboam reigned over them . * 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 . * So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day . * 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 . * 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 . * But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God , saying , * 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 , * 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 . * Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim , and dwelt therein ; and went out from thence , and built Penuel . * And Jeroboam said in his heart , Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David : * 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 . * 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 . * And he set the one in Bethel , and the other put he in Dan . * And this thing became a sin : for the people went to worship before the one , even unto Dan . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 . * And , behold , there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel : and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense . * And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD , and said , O altar , altar , thus saith the LORD ; Behold , a child shall be born unto the house of David , Josiah by name ; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee , and men 's bones shall be burnt upon thee . * And he gave a sign the same day , saying , This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken ; Behold , the altar shall be rent , and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out . * And it came to pass , when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God , which had cried against the altar in Bethel , that he put forth his hand from the altar , saying , Lay hold on him . And his hand , which he put forth against him , dried up , so that he could not pull it in again to him . * The altar also was rent , and the ashes poured out from the altar , according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD . * And the king answered and said unto the man of God , Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God , and pray for me , that my hand may be restored me again . And the man of God besought the LORD , and the king 's hand was restored him again , and became as it was before . * And the king said unto the man of God , Come home with me , and refresh thyself , and I will give thee a reward . * And the man of God said unto the king , If thou wilt give me half thine house , I will not go in with thee , neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place : * For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD , saying , Eat no bread , nor drink water , nor turn again by the same way that thou camest . * So he went another way , and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel . * Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel ; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel : the words which he had spoken unto the king , them they told also to their father . * And their father said unto them , What way went he ? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went , which came from Judah . * And he said unto his sons , Saddle me the ass . So they saddled him the ass : and he rode thereon , * And went after the man of God , and found him sitting under an oak : and he said unto him , Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah ? And he said , I am . * Then he said unto him , Come home with me , and eat bread . * And he said , I may not return with thee , nor go in with thee : neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place : * For it was said to me by the word of the LORD , Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there , nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest . * He said unto him , I am a prophet also as thou art ; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD , saying , Bring him back with thee into thine house , that he may eat bread and drink water . But he lied unto him . * So he went back with him , and did eat bread in his house , and drank water . * And it came to pass , as they sat at the table , that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back : * And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah , saying , Thus saith the LORD , Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD , and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee , * But camest back , and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place , of the which the LORD did say to thee , Eat no bread , and drink no water ; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers . * And it came to pass , after he had eaten bread , and after he had drunk , that he saddled for him the ass , to wit , for the prophet whom he had brought back . * And when he was gone , a lion met him by the way , and slew him : and his carcase was cast in the way , and the ass stood by it , the lion also stood by the carcase . * And , behold , men passed by , and saw the carcase cast in the way , and the lion standing by the carcase : and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt . * And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof , he said , It is the man of God , who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD : therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion , which hath torn him , and slain him , according to the word of the LORD , which he spake unto him . * And he spake to his sons , saying , Saddle me the ass . And they saddled him . * And he went and found his carcase cast in the way , and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase : the lion had not eaten the carcase , nor torn the ass . * And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God , and laid it upon the ass , and brought it back : and the old prophet came to the city , to mourn and to bury him . * And he laid his carcase in his own grave ; and they mourned over him , saying , Alas , my brother ! * And it came to pass , after he had buried him , that he spake to his sons , saying , When I am dead , then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried ; lay my bones beside his bones : * For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel , and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria , shall surely come to pass . * After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way , but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places : whosoever would , he consecrated him , and he became one of the priests of the high places . * And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam , even to cut it off , and to destroy it from off the face of the earth . * At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick .

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