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1When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
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But the word of God came to
2Shemaiah the man of God:
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"Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the
3rest of the people,
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'Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home,
4for this thing is from me.'" So they listened to the word of the LORD and went home again, according to the word of the LORD.
Jeroboam's Golden Calves
25 Then Jeroboam
5built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and
6built Penuel.
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And Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David.
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If this people
7go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."
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So the king took counsel and
8made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough.
9Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt."
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And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.
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Then
10this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.
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He also made
11temples on high places and
12appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.