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CHAP. XII.

1 The Israelites assembled at Shechem to crowne Rehoboam, by Ieroboam make a suite of relaxation vnto him. 6 Rehoboam refusing the olde mens counsell, by the aduice of young men, answereth them roughly. 16 Ten tribes reuolting, kill Adoram, and make Rehoboam to flee. 21 Rehoboam raising an armie, is forbidden by Shemaiah. 25 Ieroboam strengtheneth himselfe by cities, 20 and by the idolatrie of the two calues.

¹ And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.¹

² And it came to passe when Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it (for hee was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Ieroboam dwelt in Egypt:)²

³ That they sent, and called him: and Ieroboam and all the Congregation of Israel came, and spake vnto Rehoboam, saying;

⁴ Thy father made our yoke grieuous: now therefore, make thou the grieuous seruice of thy father, and his heauy yoke which he put vpon vs, lighter, and we will serue thee.⁴

Rehoboam king.

⁵ And hee said vnto them, Depart yet for three daies, then come againe to me. And the people departed.

⁶ ¶ And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men that stood before Solomon his father, while he yet liued, and said, How doe you aduise, that I may answere this people?

⁷ And they spake vnto him, saying, If thou wilt be a seruant vnto this people this day, and wilt serue them, and answere them, and speake good words to them, then they will be thy seruants for euer.

⁸ But hee forsooke the counsell of the old men, which they had giuen him, and consulted with the yong men, that were growen vp with him, and which stood before him.

⁹ And hee said vnto them, What counsell giue ye, that we may answere this people, who haue spoken to mee, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put vpon vs, lighter?

¹⁰ And the young men that were growen vp with him, spake vnto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speake vnto this people that spake vnto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heauy, but make thou it lighter vnto vs; thus shalt thou say vnto them, My litle finger shall bee thicker then my fathers loynes.

¹¹ And now whereas my father did lade you with a heauy yoke, I wil adde to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whippes, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

¹² ¶ So Ieroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me againe the third day.

¹³ And the king answered the people roughly, and forsooke the old mens counsell that they gaue him:¹³

¹⁴ And spake to them after the counsell of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heauy, and I will adde to your yoke; my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

¹⁵ Wherefore the king hearkened not vnto the people: for the cause was from the Lord, that hee might performe his saying, which the Lord spake by Ahiiah the Shilonite vnto Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat.¹⁵

Israel rebelleth.

¹⁶ ¶ So when all Israel saw that the king hearkned not vnto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion haue we in Dauid? neither haue we inheritance in the sonne of Iesse: to your tents, O Israel: nowe see to thine owne house, Dauid. So Israel departed vnto their tents.

¹⁷ But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Iudah, Rehoboam reigned ouer them.

¹⁸ Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was ouer the tribute, and all Israel stoned him with stones that hee died: therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him vp to his charet, to flee to Ierusalem.¹⁸

¹⁹ So Israel rebelled against the house of Dauid vnto this day.¹⁹

²⁰ And it came to passe when all Israel heard that Ieroboam was come againe, that they sent and called him vnto the Congregation, and made him king ouer all Israel: there was none that followed the house of Dauid, but the tribe of Iudah onely.²⁰

²¹ ¶ And when Rehoboam was come to Ierusalem, hee assembled all the house of Iudah, with the tribe of Beniamin, an hundred and fourescore thousand chosen men which were warriers, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdome againe to Rehoboam the sonne of Solomon.

²² But the word of God came vnto Shemaiah, the man of God, saying,²²

²³ Speake vnto Rehoboam the sonne of Solomon king of Iudah, and vnto all the house of Iudah and Beniamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,

²⁴ Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not goe vp, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: returne euery 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.

²⁵ ¶ Then Ieroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein, and went out from thence, and built Penuel.

²⁶ And Ieroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdome returne to the house of Dauid:

²⁷ If this people goe vp, to doe sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Ierusalem, then shall the heart of this people turne againe vnto their lorde, euen vnto Rehoboam king of Iudah, and they shall kill mee, and goe againe to Rehoboam king of Iudah.

Ieroboams calues.

²⁸ Whereupon the king tooke counsell, and made two calues of gold, and said vnto them, It is too much for you to goe vp to Ierusalem: Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee vp out of the land of Egypt.²⁸

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

³⁰ And this thing became a sinne: for the people went to worship before the one, euen vnto Dan.

³¹ And he made an house of hie places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sonnes of Leui.

³² And Ieroboam ordeined a feast in the eight moneth, on the fifteenth day of the moneth, like vnto the feast that is in Iudah, and he offered vpon the altar (so did he in Bethel,) sacrificing vnto the calues that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.³²

³³ So hee offered vpon the altar, which hee had made in Bethel, the fifteenth day of the eighth moneth, euen in the moneth which he had deuised of his owne heart: and ordeined a feast vnto the children of Israel, and he offered vpon the altar, and burnt incense.³³

1 Kings Chapter 12 Sidenote References (from Original 1611 KJV Bible):

¹ 2.Chron. 10.1.
² Chap.11. 40.
⁴ Chap.4.7
¹³ Heb. hardly.
¹⁵ Chap.11. 11.
¹⁸ Heb. strengthened himselfe.
¹⁹ Or, fell away.
²⁰ Chap.11. 13.
²² 2. Chron. 11.2.
²⁸ Exod.32. 8.
³² Or, went vp to the altar &c. , Or to sacrifice.
³³ Or, went vp to the altar &c. , Hebr. to burne incense.

* Courtesy of Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Pennsylvania