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The Calves set up at Dan and Beth-el.

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and 26 dwelt therein; and he went out from thence, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house 27 of David: if this people go up to offer sacrifices 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, 28 and return to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said unto them, 'It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold thy gods, O Israel, which 29 brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in 30 Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin : 31 for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the 32 people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he 3went up unto the altar; so did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed 33 in Beth-el the priests of the high places which he had made. And he 3went up unto the altar which he had made in Beth-el on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and 3went up unto the altar, to burn incense.

13

The Man of God out of Judah.

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn 2 incense. And he cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD: Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and 3 men's bones shall they burn upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. 4 And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it 5 back again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given 6 by the word of the LORD. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the favour of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God intreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and

1 Or, Ye have gone up long enough

2 Or, each of them

3 Or, offered upon

Or, to sacrifice

5 Another reading is, apart.

7 became as it was before.

And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. 8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor 9 drink water in this place: for so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return 10 by the way that thou camest. So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.

II Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and 'one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them 12 also they told unto their father. And their father said unto them, What way went he? Now his sons had seen what way the man of God 13 went, which came from Judah. And he said unto his sons, Saddle me 14 the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon. And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an 3oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from 15 Judah? And he said, I am. Then he said unto him, Come home 16 with me, and eat bread. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in 17 this place for it was said 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 18 that thou camest. And he said unto him, I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and 19 drink water. But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and 20 did eat bread in his house, and drank water. And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet 21 that brought him back: and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast 'been disobedient unto the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the 22 commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of the which he said to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall 23 not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him 24 the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. And

when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it; the lion also 25 stood by the carcase. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came 26 and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, Itv is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the mouth of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake

1 Heb. his son.

2 According to some ancient versions, And his sons shewed him.

3 Or, terebinth

4 Or, rebelled against the word

And

27 unto him. And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. 28 they saddled it. And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not 29 eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass. And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back and he came to the city of the old prophet, to mourn, and to 30 bury him. And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they 31 mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried ; 32 lay my bones beside his bones. For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass. 33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places: 'whosoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high 34 places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.

The Prophecy of Ahijah of Shiloh.

14 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam: and get thee to Shiloh; behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which spake concerning me that I should 3 be king over this people. And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a 3cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall 4 become of the child. And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not 5 see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age. And the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to inquire of thee concerning her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her : for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be 6 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, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to 7 thee with heavy tidings. Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, 8 and made thee 'prince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast 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 mine 9 eyes; but hast done evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, 10 and hast cast me behind thy back: therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every man

1 Or, whomsoever he would
2 Or, by this thing he became

3 Or, bottle
4 Or, leader

child, him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away II dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air 12 eat for the LORD hath spoken it. Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine house and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall 13 die. And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave: because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of 14 Jeroboam. Moreover the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: 'but what? even 15 now. For the LORD shall smite 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 16 have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he hath sinned, 17 and wherewith he hath made Israel to sin. And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and as she came to the threshold 18 of the house, the child died. And all Israel buried him, and mourned for him; according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by the 19 hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet. And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written 20 in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

5

2 Chronicles 11. 5.

2

Domestic Policy of Rehoboam.

And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence 6,7 in Judah. He built even Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, and 8 Beth-zur, and Soco, and Adullam, and Gath, and Mareshah, and 9,10 Ziph, and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fenced II cities. And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, 12 and store of victual, and oil and wine. And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. And 13 Judah and Benjamin belonged to him. And the priests and the

Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border. 14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest's office unto the LORD: 15 and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he16 goats, and for the calves which he had made. And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek the LORD,

1 Or, and what even now?

2 Or, who did sin, and who made &c.

3 Or, satyrs See Lev. xvii. 7.

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the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto the LORD, 17 the God of their fathers. So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon. 18 And Rehoboam took him a wife, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son 19 of Jesse; and she bare him sons; Jeush, and Shemariah, and 20 Zaham. And after her he took 2 Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and She21 lomith. And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines, and begat twenty and eight sons 22 and threescore daughters.) And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, even the prince among his brethren : for he was minded to make him 23 king. And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city: and he gave them victual in abundance. And he sought for them many wives. 12 And it came to pass, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he was strong, that he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.

3

1 Or, and Abihail 2 In ch. xiii. 2, Micaiah the daughter of Uriel.

3 Or, sought a multitude of wives

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