1 Kings 12

King Rehoboam Acts Foolishly

1 1Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to 2Shechem to make him king.
2 Now 3when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon ).
3 Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
4 "4Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you."
5 Then he said to them, "5Depart for three days, then return to me." So the people departed.
6 King Rehoboam 6consulted with the elders who had served * his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you counsel me to answer * this people?"
7 Then they spoke to him, saying, "7If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever *."
8 But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served * him.
9 So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer * this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?"
10 The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins!
11 'Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.' "
12 Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had directed, saying, "8Return to me on the third day."
13 The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him,
14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "9My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."
15 So the king did not listen to the people; 10for it was a turn of events from the LORD, 11that He might establish His word, which the LORD spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

The Kingdom Divided; Jeroboam Rules Israel

16 When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; 12To your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!" So Israel departed to their tents.
17 But 13as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent 14Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
19 15So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
20 It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. 16None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
21 17Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 * * chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
22 But the word of God came to 18Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
23 "Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the 19rest of the people, saying,
24 'Thus says the LORD, "You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, 20for this thing has come from Me.""' So they listened to the word of the LORD, and returned and went their way according to the word of the LORD.

Jeroboam's Idolatry

25 Then 21Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built 22Penuel.
26 Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.
27 "23If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."
28 So the king consulted, and 24made two golden 25calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; 26behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt."
29 He set 27one in 28Bethel, and the other he put in 29Dan.
30 Now 30this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.
31 And 31he made houses on high places, and 32made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.
32 Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth * day of the month, 33like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel 34the priests of the high places which he had made.
33 Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth * day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had 35devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar 36to burn incense.

Cross References 36

  • 1. 2 Chronicles 10:1
  • 2. Judges 9:6
  • 3. 1 Kings 11:26, 40
  • 4. 1 Samuel 8:11-18; 1 Kin 4:7, 21-25; 1 Kings 9:15
  • 5. 1 Kings 12:12
  • 6. 1 Kings 4:1-6; Job 12:12; Job 32:7
  • 7. 2 Chronicles 10:7; Proverbs 15:1
  • 8. 1 Kings 12:5
  • 9. Exodus 1:13, 14; Exodus 5:5-9, 16-18
  • 10. Deuteronomy 2:30; Judges 14:4; 1 Kings 12:24; 2 Chronicles 10:15
  • 11. 1 Kings 11:11, 31
  • 12. 2 Samuel 20:1
  • 13. 1 Kings 11:13, 36
  • 14. 2 Samuel 20:24; 1 Kings 4:6; 1 Kings 5:14
  • 15. 2 Kings 17:21
  • 16. 1 Kin 11:13, 32, 36
  • 17. 2 Chronicles 11:1
  • 18. 2 Chronicles 11:2; 2 Chronicles 12:5-7
  • 19. 1 Kings 12:17
  • 20. 1 Kings 12:15
  • 21. Genesis 12:6; Judges 9:45-49
  • 22. Genesis 32:30, 31; Judges 8:8, 17
  • 23. Deut 12:5-7, 14
  • 24. 2 Kings 10:29; 2 Kings 17:16; Hosea 8:4-7
  • 25. Hosea 10:5
  • 26. Exodus 32:4, 8
  • 27. Hosea 10:5
  • 28. Genesis 28:19
  • 29. Judges 18:26-31
  • 30. 1 Kings 13:34; 2 Kings 17:21
  • 31. 1 Kings 13:32
  • 32. 1 Kings 13:33; 2 Kings 17:32; 2 Chronicles 11:15; 2 Chronicles 13:9
  • 33. Leviticus 23:33, 34; Numbers 29:12; 1 Kings 8:2, 5
  • 34. Amos 7:10-13
  • 35. Numbers 15:39
  • 36. 1 Kings 13:1

Footnotes 20

1 Kings 12 Commentaries

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