The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
King James Version KJV
1 Rechav'am went to Sh'khem, where all Isra'el had come to proclaim him king.
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And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
2 When Yarov'am the son of N'vat heard of it - for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from Shlomo; so Yarov'am was living in Egypt;
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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;)
3 but they sent and summoned him - Yarov'am and the whole community of Isra'el came and said to Rechav'am,
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That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
4 "Your father laid a harsh yoke on us. But if you will lighten the harsh service we had to render your father and ease his heavy yoke that he put on us, we will serve you."
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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.
5 He said to them, "Leave me alone for three days, then come back to me." So the people left.
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And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
6 King Rechav'am consulted the older men who had been in attendance on Shlomo his father during his lifetime and asked, "What advice would you give me as to how to answer these people?"
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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?
7 They said to him, "If you will start today being a servant to these people - if you will serve them, be responsive to them and give them favorable consideration, then they will be your servants forever."
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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.
8 But he didn't take the advice the older men gave him; instead he consulted the young men he had grown up with, who were now his attendants.
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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:
9 He asked them, "What advice would you give me, so that we can give an answer to these people who said to me, 'Lighten the yoke that your father laid on us'?"
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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?
10 The young men he had grown up with said to him, "These people who said to you, 'Your father made our yoke heavy; but you, make it lighter for us' - here's the answer you should give them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!
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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.
11 Yes, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will make it heavier! My father controlled you with whips, but I will control you with scorpions!'"
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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.
12 So Yarov'am and all the people came to Rechav'am the third day, as the king had requested by saying, "Come to me again the third day";
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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.
13 and the king answered the people harshly. Abandoning the advice the older men had given him,
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And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him;
14 he addressed them according to the advice of the young men and said, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke! My father controlled you with whips, but I will control you with scorpions!"
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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.
15 So the king didn't listen to the people; and that was something ADONAI brought about, so that he could fulfill his word, which ADONAI had spoken through Achiyah from Shiloh to Yarov'am the son of N'vat.
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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.
16 When all Isra'el saw that the king wasn't listening to them, the people answered the king, "Do we have any share in David? We have no heritage in the son of Yishai! Go to your tents, Isra'el! Care for your own house, David!" So Isra'el left for their tents.
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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.
17 But as for the people of Isra'el living in the cities of Y'hudah, Rechav'am ruled over them.
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But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
18 King Rechav'am then sent Adoram, who was in charge of forced labor; but all Isra'el stoned him to death. King Rechav'am managed to mount his chariot and flee to Yerushalayim.
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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.
19 Isra'el has been in rebellion against the dynasty of David to this day.
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So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.
20 On hearing that Yarov'am had returned, all Isra'el summoned him to the assembly and proclaimed him king over all Isra'el. No one followed the dynasty of David except the tribe of Y'hudah.
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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.
21 When Rechav'am arrived in Yerushalayim, he assembled all the house of Y'hudah and the tribe of Binyamin, 180,000 select soldiers, to fight the house of Isra'el and bring the rulership back to Rechav'am the son of Shlomo.
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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.
22 But this word from God came to Sh'ma'yah the man of God:
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But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
23 "Speak to Rechav'am the son of Shlomo, king of Y'hudah, to all the house of Y'hudah and Binyamin and to the rest of the people; tell them
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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,
24 that this is what ADONAI says: 'You are not to go up and fight your brothers the people of Isra'el! Every man is to go back home, because this is my doing.'" They paid attention to the word of ADONAI and turned back, as ADONAI had told them to do.
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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.
25 Then Yarov'am built up Sh'khem in the hills of Efrayim and lived there. After that, he left and built up P'nu'el.
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Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
26 Nevertheless Yarov'am said to himself, "Now the rulership will return to the house of David.
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And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
27 For if these people continue going up to offer sacrifices in the house of ADONAI in Yerushalayim, their hearts will turn back to their lord, Rechav'am king of Y'hudah. Then they will kill me and return to Rechav'am king of Y'hudah."
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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.
28 After seeking advice, the king made two calves of gold and said to the people, "You have been going up to Yerushalayim long enough! Here are your gods, Isra'el, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!"
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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.
29 He placed one in Beit-El and the other in Dan,
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And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
30 and the affair became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one [in Beit-El and] all the way to Dan [to worship the other].
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And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
31 He also set up temples on the high places and made cohanim from among all the people, even though they were not descended from Levi.
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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.
32 Yarov'am instituted a festival in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, similar to the festival held in Y'hudah; he went up to the altar in Beit-El to sacrifice to the calves he had made; and he placed in Beit-El the cohanim he had appointed for the high places.
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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.
33 He went up to the altar which he had set up in Beit-El on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had chosen on his own, and instituted a festival for the people of Isra'el; he went up to the altar to burn incense.
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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.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The King James Version is in the public domain.