1 Kings, 12

1. Rehoboam then went to Shechem, all Israel having come to Shechem to proclaim him king.

1. Rehobo'am went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

2. (As soon as Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news -- he was still in Egypt, where he had taken refuge from King Solomon -- he returned from Egypt.

2. And when Jerobo'am the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, whither he had fled from King Solomon), then Jerobo'am returned from Egypt.

3. They now sent for him, and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came.) And they spoke as follows to Rehoboam,

3. And they sent and called him; and Jerobo'am and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehobo'am,

4. 'Your father laid a cruel yoke on us; if you will lighten your father's cruel slavery, that heavy yoke which he imposed on us, we are willing to serve you.'

4. "Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke upon us, and we will serve you."

5. He said to them, 'Go away for three days and then come back to me.' And the people went away.

5. He said to them, "Depart for three days, then come again to me." So the people went away.

6. King Rehoboam then consulted the elders who had been in attendance on his father Solomon while he was alive, and said, 'How do you advise me to answer this people?'

6. Then King Rehobo'am took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, "How do you advise me to answer this people?"

7. They replied, 'If you become the servant of this people today, and submit to them and give them a fair reply, then they will remain your servants for ever.'

7. And they said to him, "If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants for ever."

8. But he rejected the advice given him by the elders and consulted the young men in attendance on him, who had grown up with him.

8. But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.

9. He said, 'How do you advise us to answer these people who have been saying, "Lighten the yoke which your father imposed on us!"? '

9. And he said to them, "What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, `Lighten the yoke that your father put upon us'?"

10. The young men who had grown up with him replied, 'This is the way to answer these people who have been saying, "Your father made our yoke heavy, you must lighten it for us!" This is the right thing to say to them, "My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.

10. And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, "Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, `Your father made our yoke heavy, but do you lighten it for us'; thus shall you say to them, `My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.

11. Although my father laid a heavy yoke on you, I shall make it heavier still. My father controlled you with the whip, but I shall apply a spiked lash!" '

11. And now, whereas my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.'"

12. On the third day Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam in obedience to the king's instruction: 'Come back to me in three days' time.'

12. So Jerobo'am and all the people came to Rehobo'am the third day, as the king said, "Come to me again the third day."

13. And the king gave the people a harsh answer, rejecting the advice given him by the elders

13. And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel which the old men had given him,

14. and speaking to them as the young men had recommended, 'My father made your yoke heavy, I shall make it heavier still! My father controlled you with the whip, but I shall apply a spiked lash!'

14. he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions."

15. Thus the king refused to listen to the people, and this was brought about by Yahweh to fulfil the promise which he had made through Ahijah of Shiloh to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

15. So the king did not hearken to the people; for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfil his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahi'jah the Shi'lonite to Jerobo'am the son of Nebat.

16. When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king thus: What share have we in David? -No heritage in the son of Jesse! Away to your tents, Israel! Now look after your own House, David! So Israel went home again.

16. And when all Israel saw that the king did not hearken to them, the people answered the king, "What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David." So Israel departed to their tents.

17. Rehoboam, however, reigned over those Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.

17. But Rehobo'am reigned over the people of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.

18. When King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of forced labour, all Israel stoned him to death, while King Rehoboam managed to mount his chariot and escape to Jerusalem.

18. Then King Rehobo'am sent Ador'am, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehobo'am made haste to mount his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

19. And Israel has remained in rebellion against the House of David from that day to this.

19. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

20. When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king of all Israel; no one remained loyal to the House of David, except the tribe of Judah.

20. And when all Israel heard that Jerobo'am had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

21. When Rehoboam reached Jerusalem he mustered the whole House of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand picked warriors, to fight the House of Israel and win back the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.

21. When Rehobo'am came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehobo'am the son of Solomon.

22. But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, man of God,

22. But the word of God came to Shemai'ah the man of God:

23. 'Say this to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, to the whole House of Judah, to Benjamin and to the rest of the people,

23. "Say to Rehobo'am the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people,

24. "Yahweh says this: Do not go and make war on your brothers, the Israelites; let everyone go home, for this is my doing." ' They obeyed the command of Yahweh and turned back in accordance with his word.

24. `Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your kinsmen the people of Israel. Return every man to his home, for this thing is from me.'" So they hearkened to the word of the LORD, and went home again, according to the word of the LORD.

25. Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the mountain country of Ephraim and made that his residence. Then, leaving there, he fortified Penuel.

25. Then Jerobo'am built Shechem in the hill country of E'phraim, and dwelt there; and he went out from there and built Penu'el.

26. Jeroboam thought to himself, 'As things are, the kingdom will revert to the House of David.

26. And Jerobo'am said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David;

27. If this people continues to go up to the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, the people's heart will turn back again to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will put me to death.'

27. if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehobo'am king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehobo'am king of Judah."

28. So the king thought this over and then made two golden calves; he said to the people, 'You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough. Here is your God, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt!'

28. So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt."

29. He set one up at Bethel,

29. And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

30. and the people went in procession in front of the other one all the way to Dan. In Israel this gave rise to sin, for the people went to Bethel to worship the one, and all the way to Dan to worship the other.

30. And this thing became a sin, for the people went to the one at Bethel and to the other as far as Dan.

31. He set up shrines on the high places and appointed priests from ordinary families, who were not of levitical descent.

31. He also made houses on high places, and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.

32. Jeroboam also instituted a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth of the month, like the feast kept in Judah, when he offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did at Bethel, offering sacrifices to the calves which he had made and, at Bethel, installing the priests of the high places which he had set up.

32. And Jerobo'am appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices upon the altar; so he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.

33. On the fifteenth of the eighth month, the month which he had chosen deliberately, he offered sacrifices on the altar which he had made at Bethel; he instituted a feast for the Israelites and himself went up to the altar to burn the sacrifice.

33. He went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and he ordained a feast for the people of Israel, and went up to the altar to burn incense.