1 Reis 12

¹ And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for al Israel were come to Sheche, to make him king

² And whe Ieroboam ye sonne of Nebat heard of it (who was yet in Egypt, whither Ieroboam had fled from king Salomon, & dwelt in Egypt)

³ Then they sent and called him: and Ieroboam and all the Congregation of Israel came, and spake vnto Rehoboam, saying,

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,Do not oppress us with such high taxes, which we are not able to pay.lighter, and we will serve thee.

⁵ And he said vnto them, Depart yet for three dayes, then come againe to me; the people departed.

⁶ And King Rehoboam tooke counsell with the olde men that had stande before Salomon his father, while he yet liued, and sayde, What counsell giue ye, that I may make an answere to this people?

⁷ And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be aThey showed him that there was no way to win the people's hearts but to grant them their just petition.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 forsooke the counsell that the olde men had giuen him, and asked counsell of the yong men that had bene brought vp with him, and waited on him.

⁹ And he said unto them,There is nothing harder for them that are in authority than to control their desires and follow good counsel.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 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 beI am much more able to keep you in subjection than my father was.thicker than my father's loins.

¹¹ Now where as my father did burden you with a grieuous yoke, I will yet make your yoke heauier: my father hath chastised you with rods, but I will correct you with scourges.

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king hadThe people declare their obedience in this that they attempted nothing before the king gave them just opportunity.appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.

¹³ And the king answered the people sharpely, and left the old mens counsell that they gaue him,

¹⁴ And spake to them after the counsell of the yong men, saying, My father made your yoke grieuous, and I will make your yoke more grieuous: my father hath chastised you with rods, but I will correct you with scourges.

¹⁵ And the King hearkened not vnto the people: for it was the ordinance of the Lorde, that he might perfourme his saying, which the Lorde had spoken by Ahiiah the Shilonite vnto Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat.

¹⁶ So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we inThough their cause was good, yet it was hard for the people to control their desires, as these vile words declare.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 Howbeit ouer the children of Israel, which dwelt in the cities of Iudah, did Rehoboam reigne still.

¹⁸ Nowe the King Rehoboam sent Adoram the receiuer of the tribute, and all Israel stoned him to death: then King Rehoboam made speede to get him vp to his charet, to flee to Ierusalem.

¹⁹ So Israel rebelled against the houseBy the just judgment of God for Solomon's sins.of David unto this day.

²⁰ And when all Israel had heard that Ieroboam was come againe, they sent and called him vnto the assemblie, and made him King ouer all Israel: none followed the house of Dauid, but the tribe of Iudah onely.

²¹ And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, heFor as yet he did not realize that the Lord had so appointed it.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 God came unto Shemaiah theThat is, the Prophet.man of God, saying,

²³ Speake vnto Rehoboam the sonne of Salomon King of Iudah, and vnto all the house of Iudah and Beniamin, and the remnant of the people, saying,

²⁴ Thus saith theWho of his just judgment will punish the trespasser, and of his mercy spare the innocent people.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 Then Ieroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein, and went fro thence, and built Penuel.

²⁶ And Ieroboam thought in his heart, Nowe shall the kingdome returne to the house of Dauid.

²⁷ If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORDHe feared least his people should have by this means been enticed to rebel against him.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 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves [of] gold, and said unto them,So crafty are carnal persuasions of princes, when they will make a religion serve their appetite.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 And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other set he in Dan.

³⁰ And this thing turned to sinne: for the people went (because of the one) euen to Dan.

³¹ And he made anThat is, a temple, where altars were built for idolatry.house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

³² And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on theBecause he would bind the people's devotion to his idolatry even more, he made a new holy day, besides those that the Lord had appointed in the law.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 And he offered vpon the altar, which he had made in Beth-el, the fifteenth day of the eight moneth, (euen in the moneth which he had forged of his owne heart) and made a solemne feast vnto the children of Israel: and he went vp to the altar, to burne incense.