Solomon's burial

1. KING S.

Ten tribes revolt.

was buried in the city of David his father: dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reign.
and Rehoboam his fon reigned in his stead.
CHAP. XII.

1 Rehoboam refusing the old men's counsel, 16
ten tribes revolt. 26 Jeroboam's idolatry,
A lfrael were come to Shechem to make
ND Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all

him king.

2 And it came to pafs, when Jeroboam the fon of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was filed from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;) 3 That they fent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Ifrael came, and spake unto Rehoboam, faying,

4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous fervice of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will ferve thee.

S And he faid unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.

6And King Rehoboam confulted with the old men that flood before Solomon his father, while he yet lived, and faid, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?

7 And they fpake unto him, faying, If thou wilt be a fervant unto this people this day, and wilt ferve them, and anfwer them, and fpeak good words to them, then they will be thy

servants for ever.

8 But he forfook the counfel of the old men, which they had given him, and confulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which flood before him:

And he said unto them, What counfel give ye that we may anfwer this people who have Spoken to me, faying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?

10 And the young men that were grown up with him, fpake unto him, faying, Thus fhalt thou speak unto this people that fpake unto thee, faying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, bat make thou it lighter unto us; thus fhalt thou fay unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.

11 And now, whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chattifed you with whips, but I will chattife you with fcorpions.

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, faying, Come to me again the third day.

13 And the king anfwered the people roughly, and forfook the old men's counfel that they gave him;

14 And fpake to them after the counfel of the young men, faying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke my father alfo chattifed you with whips, but I will chaftife you with fcorpions.

15 Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his faying, which the LORD fpake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jero. boam the fon of Nebat.

16 So when all Ifrael faw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, faying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the fon of Jeffe: to your tents, O Ifrael: now fee to thine own house, David. So Ifrael departed unto their tents.

But as for the children of Ifrael which

ed over them.

18 Then king Rehoboam fent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Ifrael ftoned him Therefore king with ftones, that he died. chariot, to flee to Jerufalem. Rehoboam made fpeed to get him up to his

19 So Ifrael rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

20 And it came to pafs, when all Ifrael heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they fent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Ifrael: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

21 And when Rehoboam was come to Je. rufalem, he affembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourfcore thousand chofen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Ifrael, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the fon of Solomon.

22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, faying,

23 Speak unto Rehoboam the fon of Solomon king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the peo ple, faying,

24 Thus faith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Ifrael: return every man to his houfe; 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 Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.

26 And Jeroboam faid in his heart, Now thall the kingdom return to the house of David:

27 If this people go up to do facrifice in the houfe of the LORD at Jerufalem, then fhall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they thall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.

28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and faid unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerufalem: behold thy gods, Olfrael, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

29 And he fet the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan.

30 And this thing became a fin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

31 And he made an houfe of high places, and made priests of the loweft of the people, which were not of the fons of Levi.

32 And Jeroboam ordained a feaft in the
eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the
month, like unto the feaft that is in Judah,
and he offered upon the altar. So did he in
Beth-el, facrificing unto the calves that he
had made: and he placed in Beth-el the
prieffs of the high places which he had
made.

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; and ordained a
feat unto the children of Ifrael: and he offered
upon the altar, and burnt incenfe.
CHAP. XIII.

1 Jeroboam's band withereth, 6 and, at the

t

Feroboam's band withereth.

The disobedient prophet flain. as thou art; and an angel fpake unto me by the word of the LORD, faying, Bring him back with thee into thine houfe, that he may eat bread, and drink water. But he lied unto him.

Chap. xiii. prayer of the prophet, is reftored. 23 The difobedient prophet is flain by a lion. AND behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel and Jeroboam ftood by the altar to burn incenfe."

2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and faid, O altar, altar, thus faith the LORD; Behold, a child thall be born unto the house of David, Jofiah by name; and upon thee thall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incenfe upon thee, and men's bones thall be burned upon thee.

3 And he gave a fign the fame day, faying, This is the fign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar thall be rent, and the athes that are upon it thall be poured out.

4 And it came to pafs, when king Jeroboam heard the faying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, faying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, fo that he could not pull it in again to him.

5 The altar alfo was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the fign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

6 And the king anfwered and faid unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God befought the LORD, and the king's hand was reftored him again, and became as it was before.

7 And the king faid unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyfelf, and I will give thee a reward.

8 And the man of God faid unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine houfe, I will not goin with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:

For fo was it charged me by the word of the LORD, faying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the fame way that

thou cameft.

10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.

11Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and his fons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spokes unto the king, them they told alfo to their father.

12 And their father faid unto them, What way went he? for his fons had feen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.

13 And he faid unto his fons, Saddle me the afs. So they faddled him the afs, and he rode thereon,

14 And went after the man of God, and found him fitting under an oak: and he faid unto him, Art thou the man of God that cameft from Judah? And he faid, I am.

15 Then he faid unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

16 And he faid, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place :

17 For it was faid to me by the word of the LORD. Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou cameft.

18 Hefaid unto him, I am a prophet also

19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his houfe, and drank water.

20And it came to pafs, as they fat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:

21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, faying, Thus faith the LORD, Forafmuch as thou hast difobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and haft not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,

22 But cameft back, and haft eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcafs fhall not come unto the fepulchre of thy fathers.

23 And it came to pafs, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he faddled for him the afs, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.

24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and flew him and his carcass was caft in the way, and the afs ftood by it, the lion alfo ftood by the carcafs.

25 And, behold, men paffed by, and faw the carcass caft in the way, and the lion ftanding by the carcafs: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he faid, It is the man of God who was difobedient unto the word of the LORD; therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and flain him, accor ding to the word of the LORD, which ke fpake unto him,

27 And he spake to his fons, faying, Sad. dle me the afs. And they faddled him.

28 And he went and found his carcafs caft in the way, and the a's and the lion ftanding by the carcafs: the lion had not eaten the car. cafs, nor torn the afs.

29 And the prophet took up the carcafs of the man of God, and laid it upon the afs, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him.

30 And he laid his carcafs in his own grave; and they mourned over him, faying, Alas, my brother!

31 And it came to pafs, after he had buried him, that he spake to his fons, faying, When I am dead, then bury me in the fepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones befide his bones:

32 For the faying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houfes of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, fhall furely come to pafs.

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

34 And this thing became fin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth. CHAP. XIV.

1 Abijah being fick, Feroboam fendeth his wife

Jeroboam threatened.

1. KING 9.
disguised, with presents to the prophet Abi-
Jab at Shiloh. Abijah, forewarned, de-
nounceth God's judgments.

A

T that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam
fell fick.

I

2 And Jeroboam faid to his wife, Arife, pray thee, and difguife thy felf, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that should be king over this people.

3 And take with thee ten loaves, and crack. nels, and a cruife of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what thall become of the child. 4 And Jeroboam's wife did to, and arofe, and went to Shiloh, and came to the houfe of Abijah. But Ahijah could not fee; for his eyes were fet by reafon of his age.

5 And the LORD faid unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her fon; for he is fick: Thus and thus fhalt thou fay unto her: for it shall be, when the cometh in, that the thall feign herself to be another woman.

6 And it was fo, when Ahijah heard the found of her feet, as the came in at the door, that he faid, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignett thou thyfelf to be another? for I am fent to thee with heavy tidings.

7 Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus faith the LORD God of Ifrael, Forafmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people ffrael,

8 And rent the kingdom away from the houfe of David, and gave it thee: and per thou haft not been as my fervant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;

9 But haft done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hatt cait me behind thy back:

10 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil up. on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that piffeth against the wall, and him that Shut up and left in Ifrael, and will take away the remnant of the houfe of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.

11 Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city thall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field thall the fowls of the air eat: for the LORD hath spoken it.

12 Arife thou therefore, get thee to thine own houfe: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.

13 And all Ifrael shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam fhall come to the grave, because in him there is found Some good thing toward the LORD God of Ifrael in the house of Jeroboamn.

14 Moreover, the LORD fhall raife him up a king over Ifrael, who fhall cut off the houfe of Jeroboam that day: but, What? even now.

Rehoboam's wicked reign.

17 And Jeroboam's wife arofe, and depart ed, and came to Tirzah: and when the came to the threshold of the door, the child died;

18 And they buried him: and all Ifrael mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by the hand of his fervant Ahijah the prophet.

19 And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

20 And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his fon reigned in his ftead.

21 And Rehoboam the fon of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned feventeen years in Jerufalem, the city which the LORD did choofe out of all the tribes of Ifrael, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Am. monitefs.

22 And Judah did evil in the fight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealoufy with their fins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.

23 For they alfo built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.

24 And there were alfo fodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abomi nations of the nations which the LORD caft out before the children of Ifrael.

25 And it came to pafs in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shithak king of Egypt came up against Jerufalem:

26 And he took away the treasures of the houfe of the LORD, and the treafures of the king's houfe; he even took away all: and he took away all the thields of gold which solomon had made.

27 And king Rehoboam made in their flead brafen fhields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king's houfe.

28 And it was fo, when the king went into the houfe of the LORD, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

31 And Rehoboam flept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitefs: and Abijam his fon reigned in his ftead.

CHAP. XV.

1 Abijam's wicked reign: 8 Afa fucceedeth
bim: 24 be dying, Jehoshaphat fuccredeth.
33 Baafka's wicked reign.

15 For the LORD shall fmite Ifrael, as a feed Now in the eighteenth year of king Jero

is thaken in the water, and he thali root up Ifrael 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.

16 And he shall give Ifrael up becaufe of the fius of Jeroboam, who did fir, and who made Trael to fin.

boam the fon of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.

2 Three years reigned he in Jerufalem, And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abihalom.

3 And he walked in all the fins of his father, which he had done before him and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.

Chap. xvi.

Afa's good reign. 4 Nevertheless, for David's fake did the builded; and king Afa built with them Geba LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerufalem, of Benjamin, and Mizpah. to fet up his fon after him, and to establish Je-, 23 The rest of all the acts of Afa, and all his rufalem: might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, Are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah ? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was difeafed in his feet.

Febu's prophecy againfi Baafka. 1. KINGS.
buried in Tirzah: and Elah his fon reigned
in his ftead.

7 And alfo by the hand of the prophet Jehu
the fon of Hanani came the word of the LORD
against Baatha, and against his houfe, even for
all the evil that he did in the fight of the
LORD, in provoking him to anger with the
work of his hands, in being like the house
of Jeroboam; and because he killed
him.

8 In the twenty and fixth year of Afa king of Judah, began Elah the fon of Baatha to reign over Ifrael in Tirzah, two years.

9 And his fervant Zimri, captain of half bis chariots, confpired against him as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, fteward of his houfe in Tirzah. 10 And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and feventh year of Afa king of Judah, and reigned in his ftead. And it came to pafs, when he began to reign, as foon as he fat on his throne, that he flew all the houfe of Baatha: he left him not one that piffeth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolk nor of his friends,

12 Thus did Zimri deftroy all the houfe of Baatha, according to the word of the LORD, which he fpake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,

13 For all the fins of Baafha, and the fins of Elah his fon, by which they finned, and by which they made Ifrael to fin, in provoking the LORD God of Ifrael to anger with their vanities.

14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, Are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Ifrael? 15 In the twenty and feventh year of Afa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzan; and the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.

16 And the people that were encamped heard fay, Zimri hath confpired, and hath alfo flain the king: wherefore all Ifrael made Omri, the captain of the hoft, king over Ifrael that day in the camp.

17 And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Ifrael with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

18 And it came to pafs, when Zimri faw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's houfe, and burnt the king's houfe over him with fire, and died,

19 For his fins which he finned in doing evil in the fight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his fin which he did, to make Ifrael to fin.

20 Now the reit of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, Are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Ifrael?

21 Then were the people of Ifrael divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the fon of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.

22 But the people that followed Omri prevailed againff the people that followed Tibni the fon of Ginath': fo Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

23 In the thirty and firft year of Afa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Ifrael, twelve years: fix years reigned he in Tirzah.

24 And he bought the hill Samaria of

Omri death and burial Shemer for two talents of filver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.

25 But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.

26 For he walked in all the way of Jero. boam the fon or Nebat, and in his fin where. with he made Ifrael to fin, to provoke the LORD God of Ifrael to anger with their vanities.

27 Now the reft of the acts of Omri, which he did, and his might that he thewed, Are they not written in the book of the chroni cles of the kings of Ifrael?

28 So Omri ilept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his fon reigned in his ftead.

29 And in the thirty and eighth year of Afa king of Judah began Ahab the fon of Omri to reign over Ifrael: and Ahab the fon of Omri reigned over Ifrael in Samaria twenty and two years.

30 And Ahab the fon of Omri did evil in the fight of the LORD above all that were before him.

31 And it came to pafs, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the fins of Je roboam the fon of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and ferved Baal, and worthipped him.

32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the houfe of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Ifrael to anger than all the kings of Ifrael that were before him.

34 In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho; he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his first born, and fet up the gates thereof in his youngest fon Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the fon of Nun.

CHAP. XVII.

1 Elijah, prophefying against Ahab, is fent to
Cherith, where the ravens feed him: 8 be
is fent to the widow of Zarephath: 17 ke
raifeth the widow's fan.

AND Elijah the Tihbite, who was of the

inhabitants of Gilead, faid unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Ifrael liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain thefe years, but according to my word.

2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, faying,

3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyfelf by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

4 And it shall be, that thou fhalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and fleth in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

7 And it came to pafs after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, faying,