-Israel-

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.

And Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: 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…."

On this the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt." And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth 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.

And, look, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And the man of God cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, "O altar, altar, this says the LORD; ‘Look, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon you shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon you, and men's bones shall be burned upon you.’" And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken; ‘Look, the altar shall be torn apart, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.’"

And it came to pass, when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put out his hand from the altar, saying, "Lay hold on him." And his hand…dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was torn apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

And the king answered and said unto the man of God, "Implore now the face of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again." And the man of God sought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again….

After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, "Arise, I pray you, and disguise yourself, that you be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get you to Shiloh: look, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people. …Take with you ten loaves, and crumb cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him: he shall tell you what shall become of the child."

And the LORD said unto Ahijah, "Look, the wife of Jeroboam comes to ask thing of you for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shall you say unto her: for it shall be, when she comes in, that she shall pretend…to be another woman."

And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, "Come in, you wife of Jeroboam; why pretend you…to be another? …I am sent to you with bad news.

"Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘This says the LORD God of Israel, inasmuch as I exalted you from among the people, and made you prince over my people Israel, and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it you: and yet you have not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in my eyes; But have done evil above all that were before you: for you have gone and made…other gods, and molded images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back: Therefore, look, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pees against the wall, and him that is a slave and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man takes away manure, till it be all gone.

‘"He that dies of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and he that dies in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the LORD has spoken it.’ Arise…therefore, get…to your own house: and when your feet enter into the city, the child shall die.

Furthermore the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? Even now. For the LORD shall strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin." And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died.

-Judah-

…Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess. And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done; For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. And there were also Sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations, which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem: And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold, which Solomon had made.

REFERENCES

1 Kings 12: 20, 26-30, 32; 1 Kings 13:1-6, 33; 1 Kings 14:1-3, 5-12, 14-17, 30; 1 Kings 14:21-26.

CHAPTER 31