Open English Translation 1KI Chapter 12

12 Rehavam went to Shekem, because all Israel had assembled there to make him king. 2 Meanwhile, Nebat’s son Yarobam (Jeroboam) in Egypt (where he’d fled from King Shelomoh) heard the news and returned to Israel. 3 The leaders of the northern tribes summoned him, and they all went to petition King Rehavam, 4 “Your father Shelomoh required us to contribute too much labour. If you’ll lighten the burden on us, then we’ll serve you.”

5 “Come back in three days,” he replied, “and I’ll give my response.” So the people left.

6 Then King Rehavam consulted with the elders (who’d served his father Shelomoh while he was alive), asking them for advice on how to respond.

7 “If you want to serve these people well,” they replied, “answer them with kindness now then they’ll serve you well in the future.”

8 However he dediced to ignore that advice from the elders, and he consulted with the young men who were standing in front of him and that he’d grown up with, 9 so he asked them, “What would you all recommend that we tell the people who wanted me to lighten the burden that my father placed on them?”

10 “You should tell them this,” his young companions replied. “They’ve asked that you should lighten the load on them from what your father demanded, but on the contrary, you should tell them that your little finger is thicker than your father’s thigh bone was. 11 Tell them that your father placed a heavy burden on them, but that you’ll add to that. He punished them with whips, but you’ll punish them with scorpions.”

12 So when Yarobam and all the leaders came back to King Rehavam on the third day as he’d instructed them, 13 he answered them harshly—ignoring the advice of the elders at the beginning. 14 Instead he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father placed a heavy burden on you all, but as for me, I’ll add to those demands. My father punished you all with whips, but as for me, I’ll punish you all with scorpions.” 15 So the king didn’t listen to the people. This change came from Yahweh so that what he’d had Ahiyyah the Shilonite tell Nebat’s son Yarobam would all indeed happen.[ref]

16 When all Israel saw that the king hadn’t listened to them, the people responded,

“What share in David do we have?

≈We won’t get any inheritance from Yeshai’s son.

Go back to your tents, Israel.

Look at your dynasty now, David.”[ref]

So the northern Israeli leaders went home again. 17 However, Rehavam continued to rule over the cities in Yehudah.

18 Then King Rehavam took Adoniram who was over the forced labour, to go north but the people killed him by throwing rocks at him and the king had to hurriedly jump into his chariot to flee to Yerushalem. 19 Ever since then, the northern tribes of Israel have rebelled against David’s dynasty.

20 So as soon as all Israel heard that Yarobam had returned from Egypt, they summoned him to their assembly and appointed him as king over all northern Israel. Only the Yehudah region was left under the rule of David’s grandson Rehavam.

21 So when Shelomoh’s son Rehavam (Rehoboam) returned to Yerushalem, he assembled all the tribes of Yehudah and Benyamin, and 180,000 warriors were chosen to fight against the northern tribes to return the kingship to him. 22 But God told the prophet Shemayah, 23 “Go and tell Shelomoh’s son Rehavam, the king of Yehudah, and tell all the descendants of Yehudah and Benyamin, and the remainder of the people, saying, 24 ‘Yahweh says this: Don’t go and fight against your Israeli relatives. Everyone should just return home because everything that happened there was initiated by me.’ ” When they heard Yahweh’s message, they took note of it and everyone went back home.

25 Then Yarobam built Shekem in the hill country of Efraim and he lived there for a while. Then he left there and built Penuel. 26 After that, he worried that the entire country might want to go back under David’s dynasty. 27 He worried that if the people went down to Yerushalem to offer sacrifices in Yahweh’s temple, they might shift their allegiance to King Rehavam in Yehudah and then his life might be in danger.

28 So after getting advice, the king made two gold calves, and he told his people, “Going all the way down to Yerushalem is too far for you. Look, these can be your gods, Israel, who brought you out from Egypt.”[ref] 29 He set one up at Bethel (in the south) and the other one at Dan (in the north). 30 This caused the people to sin, and some people went up as far as the one in Dan. 31 He built temples on hills and appointed priests from various tribes—not just from the tribe of Levi.

32 In the eighth month on the 15th, Yarobam put on a celebration like the one in Yehudah. He’d made an altar at Bethel and he got the priests from the hill temples he’d made to come and stand there, then he offered a sacrifice on that altar to the calves that he’d made.[ref] 33 That date of the 15th day of the eighth month was one that he’d just decided for himself, and he instituted a new celebration for the Israelis and he burnt incense on the altar as a sacrifice.