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1 Kings 12 - King James 1611 bible

1 Kings 12

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

²And 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:)

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

⁴Thy 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.

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

⁶And 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?

⁷And 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.

⁸But 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.

⁹And 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?

¹⁰And 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.

¹¹And 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.

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

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

¹⁴And 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.

¹⁵Wherefore 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.

¹⁶So 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.

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

¹⁸Then 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.

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

²⁰And 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.

²¹And 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.

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

²³Speake 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,

²⁴Thus 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.

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

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

²⁷If 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.

²⁸Whereupon 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.

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

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

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

³²And 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.

³³So 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.