1 Kings 12
Israel's
Revolt |
2 Chr. 10.1--11.4 |
1 |
And Rehobo'am went to Shechem: for all
Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
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2 |
And it came to pass, when Jerobo'am the
son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was
fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jerobo'am dwelt in
Egypt,)
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3 |
that they sent and called him. And
Jerobo'am and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto
Rehobo'am, saying,
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4 |
Thy father made our yoke grievous: now
therefore make thou the grevious service of thy father, and his
heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve
thee.
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5 |
And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people
departed.
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6 |
And king Rehobo'am 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?
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7 |
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.
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8 |
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:
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9 |
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?
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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 be thicker than my father's
loins.
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11 |
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.
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12 |
So Jerobo'am and all the people came to
Rehobo'am the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to
me again the third day.
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13 |
And the king answered the people roughly,
and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him;
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14 |
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.
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15 |
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 Ahi'jah the Shi'lonite unto Jerobo'am the son of
Nebat.
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16 |
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: 2 Sam. 20.1 now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto
their tents.
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17 |
But as for the children of Israel
which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehobo'am reigned over
them.
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18 |
Then king Rehobo'am sent Ado'ram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones,
that he died. Therefore king Rehobo'am made speed to get him up to
his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
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19 |
So Israel rebelled against the house of
David unto this day.
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20 |
And it came to pass, when all Israel
heard that Jerobo'am 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.
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21 |
And when Rehobo'am was come to
Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of
Benjamin, a hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were
warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom
again to Rehobo'am the son of Solomon.
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22 |
But the word of God came unto Shemai'ah
the man of God, saying,
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23 |
Speak unto Rehobo'am, the son of Solomon,
king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to
the remnant of the people, saying,
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24 |
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.
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Jeroboam Leads Israel
into Sin |
25 |
Then Jerobo'am built Shechem in mount
E'phra-im, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built
Penu'el.
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26 |
And Jerobo'am said in his heart, Now
shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
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27 |
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 Rehobo'am king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again
to Rehobo'am king of Judah.
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28 |
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. Ex. 32.4
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29 |
And he set the one in Beth-el, and the
other put he in Dan.
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30 |
And this thing became a sin: for the
people went to worship before the one, even unto
Dan.
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31 |
And he made a house of high places, and
made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons
of Levi.
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32 |
And Jerobo'am 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
Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed
in Beth-el the priests of the high places which he had
made.
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33 |
So he offered upon the altar which he had
made in Beth-el the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; Lev. 23.33, 34 and
ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon
the altar, and burnt incense.
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