列王纪上 12
1 罗波安往示剑去；因为以色列人都到了示剑要立他作王。
Rehoboam went to Shechem because that is where the whole of Israel had gone to make him king.
2 尼八的儿子耶罗波安先前躲避所罗门王，逃往埃及，住在那里（他听见这事。）
Jeroboam, son of Nebat, was still in Egypt when he heard about this. (He had run away to Egypt to escape from King Solomon and was living there.)
3 以色列人打发人去请他来，他就和以色列会众都来见罗波安，对他说：
The Israelite leaders sent for him. Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israelites went to talk with Rehoboam.
4 “你父亲使我们负重轭，做苦工，现在求你使我们做的苦工、负的重轭轻松些，我们就事奉你。”
“Your father placed a heavy burden on us,” they told him. “But now if you lighten the load when we served your father and the heavy demands he put on us, we will serve you.”
5 罗波安对他们说：“你们暂且去，第三日再来见我。”民就去了。
Rehoboam answered, “Go away and come back in three days time.” So the people left.
6 罗波安之父所罗门在世的日子，有侍立在他面前的老年人，罗波安王和他们商议，说：“你们给我出个什么主意，我好回复这民。”
King Rehoboam asked for advice from the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive. “How do you advise me to reply to these people about this?” he asked.
7 老年人对他说：“现在王若服事这民如仆人，用好话回答他们，他们就永远作王的仆人。”
They replied, “If you are a servant to these people today, if you serve them and answer them, by speaking kindly to them, they will always serve you.”
8 王却不用老年人给他出的主意，就和那些与他一同长大、在他面前侍立的少年人商议，
But Rehoboam dismissed the advice of the elders. He instead asked advice from the young men who he had grown up with, and who were close to him.
9 说：“这民对我说：‘你父亲使我们负重轭，求你使我们轻松些。’你们给我出个什么主意，我好回复他们。”
He asked them, “What response do you advise that we send back to these people who have told me, ‘Lighten the burden your father put on us’?”
10 那同他长大的少年人说：“这民对王说：‘你父亲使我们负重轭，求你使我们轻松些。’王要对他们如此说：‘我的小拇指头比我父亲的腰还粗。
The young men who he had grown up with told him, “This is what you have to tell these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our burden heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should answer them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!
11 我父亲使你们负重轭，我必使你们负更重的轭！我父亲用鞭子责打你们，我要用蝎子鞭责打你们！’”
My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.’”
12 耶罗波安和众百姓遵着罗波安王所说“你们第三日再来见我”的那话，第三日他们果然来了。
Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, because the king had told them, “Come back in three days time.”
13 王用严厉的话回答百姓，不用老年人给他所出的主意，
The king answered the people sharply. Dismissing the advice of the elders,
14 照着少年人所出的主意对民说：“我父亲使你们负重轭，我必使你们负更重的轭！我父亲用鞭子责打你们，我要用蝎子鞭责打你们！”
he replied using the advice of the young men. He said, “My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.”
15 王不肯依从百姓，这事乃出于耶和华，为要应验他借示罗人亚希雅对尼八的儿子耶罗波安所说的话。
The king did not listen to what the people said, for this change in circumstances was from the Lord, to fulfill what the Lord had told Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
16 以色列众民见王不依从他们，就对王说： 我们与大卫有什么分儿呢？ 与耶西的儿子并没有关涉。 以色列人哪，各回各家去吧！ 大卫家啊，自己顾自己吧！ 于是，以色列人都回自己家里去了，
When all the Israelites saw that the king wasn't listening to them, they told the king: “What share do we have in David, and what part do we have in the son of Jesse? Go home, Israel! You're on your own, house of David!” So all the Israelites went home.
17 惟独住犹大城邑的以色列人，罗波安仍作他们的王。
However, Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in Judah.
18 罗波安王差遣掌管服苦之人的亚多兰往以色列人那里去，以色列人就用石头打死他。罗波安王急忙上车，逃回耶路撒冷去了。
Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam quickly jumped into his chariot and raced back to Jerusalem.
19 这样，以色列人背叛大卫家，直到今日。
As a result, Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
20 以色列众人听见耶罗波安回来了，就打发人去请他到会众面前，立他作以色列众人的王。除了犹大支派以外，没有顺从大卫家的。
When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent for him, summoning him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah was left to the house of David.
21 罗波安来到耶路撒冷，招聚犹大全家和便雅悯支派的人共十八万，都是挑选的战士，要与以色列家争战，好将国夺回，再归所罗门的儿子罗波安。
When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered the men from the households of Judah and Benjamin— 180,000 chosen warriors—to go and fight against Israel to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam, son of Solomon.
22 但 神的话临到神人示玛雅，说：
But a message from the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God that said,
23 “你去告诉所罗门的儿子犹大王罗波安和犹大、便雅悯全家，并其余的民说：
“Tell Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, to Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people:
24 ‘耶和华如此说：你们不可上去与你们的弟兄以色列人争战。各归各家去吧！因为这事出于我。’”众人就听从耶和华的话，遵着耶和华的命回去了。
‘This is what the Lord says. Don't fight against your Israelite relatives. Every one of you, go home! For it was me that made this happen.’” So they obeyed what the Lord told them and went home, as the Lord had said.
25 耶罗波安在以法莲山地建筑示剑，就住在其中；又从示剑出去，建筑毗努伊勒。
Jeroboam strengthened the town of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went and built Penuel.
26 耶罗波安心里说：“恐怕这国仍归大卫家；
Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom could easily return to the house of David.
27 这民若上耶路撒冷去，在耶和华的殿里献祭，他们的心必归向他们的主—犹大王罗波安，就把我杀了，仍归犹大王罗波安。”
When people from here go to offer sacrifices at the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem, they will transfer their loyalty back to Rehoboam, king of Judah. Then they will kill me and go back to King Rehoboam.”
28 耶罗波安王就筹划定妥，铸造了两个金牛犊，对众民说：“以色列人哪，你们上耶路撒冷去实在是难；这就是领你们出埃及地的神。”
So after taking advice, the king had two golden calves made, and he told the people, “Don't bother going to Jerusalem any more. Look, Israel, here are your gods who led you out of the land of Egypt.”
29 他就把牛犊一只安在伯特利，一只安在但。
He placed one in Bethel, and the other in Dan.
30 这事叫百姓陷在罪里，因为他们往但去拜那牛犊。
This action brought about sin, because the people went as far north as Dan to worship the idol there.
31 耶罗波安在邱坛那里建殿，将那不属利未人的凡民立为祭司。
In addition Jeroboam had shrines built on high places and appointed as priests all kinds of people who were not Levites.
32 耶罗波安定八月十五日为节期，像在犹大的节期一样，自己上坛献祭。他在伯特利也这样向他所铸的牛犊献祭，又将立为邱坛的祭司安置在伯特利。
Jeroboam initiated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival held in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. He made this offering in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made, and appointed priests in Bethel for the high places he had built.
33 他在八月十五日，就是他私自所定的月日，为以色列人立作节期的日子，在伯特利上坛烧香。
So on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month he had chosen himself, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel. In this way he instituted a festival for the Israelites, offering sacrifices on the altar and burning incense.
