Through the Bible – Day 123

₁Rehoboam went to Shechem where everyone was waiting to crown him king.

₂Jeroboam son of Nebat heard what was happening, and he stayed in Egypt, where he had gone to hide from Solomon. ₃But the people from the northern tribes of Israel sent for him. Then together they went to Rehoboam and said, ₄“Your father Solomon forced us to work very hard. But if you make our work easier, we will serve you and do whatever you ask.”

₅“Give me three days to think about it,” Rehoboam replied, “then come back for my answer.” So the people left.

₆Rehoboam went to some leaders who had been his father's senior officials, and he asked them, “What should I tell these people?”

₇They answered, “If you want them to serve and obey you, then you should do what they ask today. Tell them you will make their work easier.”

₈But Rehoboam refused their advice and went to the younger men who had grown up with him and were now his officials. ₉He asked, “What do you think I should say to these people who asked me to make their work easier?”

₁₀His younger advisers said:

₁₂Three days later, Jeroboam and the others came back. ₁₃Rehoboam ignored the advice of the older advisers. ₁₄He spoke bluntly and told them exactly what his own advisers had suggested: “My father made you work hard, but I'll make you work even harder. He punished you with whips, but I'll use whips with pieces of sharp metal!”

_15-19When the people realized that Rehoboam would not listen to them, they shouted: “We don't have to be loyal to David's family. We can do what we want. Come on, people of Israel, let's go home! Rehoboam can rule his own people.”

Adoniram was in charge of the forced labour, and Rehoboam sent him to talk to the people. But they stoned him to death. Then Rehoboam ran to his chariot and hurried back to Jerusalem.

So the people from the northern tribes of Israel went home, leaving Rehoboam to rule only the people from the towns in Judah. Ever since that day, the people of Israel have opposed David's family in Judah. All this happened just as the LORD's prophet Ahijah had told Jeroboam.

₂₀When the Israelites heard that Jeroboam was back, they called everyone together. Then they sent for Jeroboam and made him king of Israel. Only the people from the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David's family.

₂₁After Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem, he decided to attack Israel and take control of the whole country. So he called together one hundred and eighty thousand soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

₂₂Meanwhile, God told Shemaiah the prophet ₂₃to give Rehoboam and everyone from Judah and Benjamin this warning: ₂₄“Don't go to war against the people from Israel—they are your relatives. Go home! I am the LORD, and I made these things happen.”

Rehoboam and his army obeyed the LORD and went home.

₂₅Jeroboam rebuilt Shechem in Ephraim and made it a stronger town, then he moved there. He also fortified the town of Penuel.

_26-27One day, Jeroboam started thinking, “Everyone in Israel still goes to the temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the LORD. What if they become loyal to David's family again? They will kill me and accept Rehoboam as their king.”

₂₈Jeroboam asked for advice and then made two gold statues of calves. He showed them to the people and said, “Listen everyone! You won't have to go to Jerusalem to worship any more. Here are your gods who rescued you from Egypt.” _29-30Then he put one of the gold calves in the town of Bethel. He put the other one in the town of Dan, and the crowd walked out in front as the calf was taken there. What Jeroboam did was a terrible sin.

₃₁Jeroboam built small places of worship at the shrines and appointed men who were not from the tribe of Levi to serve as priests. _32-33He also decided to start a new festival for the Israelites on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the one in Judah. On that day, Jeroboam went to Bethel and offered sacrifices on the altar to the gold calf he had put there. Then he assigned the priests their duties.

_1-2One day, Jeroboam was standing at the altar in Bethel, ready to make an offering. Suddenly one of God's prophets arrived from Judah and shouted:

₄Jeroboam pointed at the prophet and shouted, “Grab him!” But straight away, Jeroboam's hand became stiff, and he could not move it. ₅The altar split in half, and the ashes fell to the ground, just as the prophet had warned.

₆“Please pray to the LORD your God and ask him to heal my hand,” Jeroboam begged.

The prophet prayed, and Jeroboam's hand was healed.

₇“Come home with me and eat something,” Jeroboam said. “I want to give you a gift for what you have done.”

₈“No, I wouldn't go with you, even if you offered me half of your kingdom. I won't eat or drink here either. ₉The LORD said I can't eat or drink anything and that I can't go home the same way I came.” ₁₀Then he started home down a different road.

₁₁At that time an old prophet lived in Bethel, and one of his sons told him what the prophet from Judah had said and done.

₁₂“Show me which way he went,” the old prophet said, and his sons pointed out the road. ₁₃“Put a saddle on my donkey,” he told them. After they did, he got on the donkey ₁₄and rode off to look for the prophet from Judah.

The old prophet found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the prophet from Judah?”

“Yes, I am.”

₁₅“Come home with me,” the old prophet said, “and have something to eat.”

₁₆“I can't go back with you,” the prophet replied, “and I can't eat or drink anything with you. ₁₇The LORD warned me not to eat or drink or to go home the same way I came.”

₁₈The old prophet said, “I'm a prophet too. One of the LORD's angels told me to take you to my house and give you something to eat and drink.”

The prophet from Judah did not know that the old prophet was lying, ₁₉so he went home with him and ate and drank.

₂₀During the meal the LORD gave the old prophet ₂₁a message for the prophet from Judah:

₂₃After the meal the old prophet got a donkey ready, ₂₄and the prophet from Judah left. Along the way, a lion attacked and killed him, and the donkey and the lion stood there beside his dead body.

₂₅Some people walked by and saw the body with the lion standing there. They ran into Bethel, telling everyone what they had seen.

₂₆When the old prophet heard the news, he said, “That must be the prophet from Judah. The LORD warned him, but he disobeyed. So the LORD sent a lion to kill him.”

₂₇The old prophet told his sons to saddle his donkey, and when it was ready, ₂₈he left. He found the body lying on the road, with the donkey and lion standing there. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey. ₂₉The old prophet picked up the body, put it on his own donkey, and took it back to Bethel, so he could bury it and mourn for the prophet from Judah.

₃₀He buried the body in his own family tomb and cried for the prophet. ₃₁He said to his sons, “When I die, bury my body next to this prophet. ₃₂I'm sure that everything he said about the altar in Bethel and the shrines in Samaria will happen.”

₃₃But Jeroboam kept on doing evil things. He appointed men to be priests at the local shrines, even if they were not Levites. In fact, anyone who wanted to be a priest could be one. ₃₄This sinful thing led to the downfall of his kingdom.

₂₉Then Jesus told them a story:

₃₇Jesus taught in the temple each day, and he spent each night on the Mount of Olives. ₃₈Everyone got up early and came to the temple to hear him teach.