1 Kings 12

1 And he went Rehoboam Shechem for Shechem it had gone all Israel to make king him.

All [HYP] the people of [northern] Israel went to Shechem [city] in order to appoint Rehoboam to be their king. So Rehoboam also went there.

2 And it was when heard - Jeroboam [the] son of Nebat and he still he [was] in Egypt where he had fled because of the king Solomon and he dwelt Jeroboam in Egypt.

When Jeroboam, who was still in Egypt, heard about that, he returned from Egypt [to Israel].

3 And people sent and they summoned him (and he came *Q(K)*) Jeroboam and all [the] assembly of Israel and they spoke to Rehoboam saying.

The [leaders of the northern tribes] summoned him, and they went together [to talk] to Rehoboam. They said to him,

4 Father your he made hard yoke our and you now lighten some of [the] service of father your hard and some of yoke his heavy which he put on us and we will serve you.

“Your father [Solomon] forced us to work very hard [MET] for him. If you (lighten these loads/do not force us to work that hard), and if you charge us less taxes than we were paying to him, we will serve you [faithfully].”

5 And he said to them go yet three days and return to me and they went the people.

He replied, “Go away, and come back three days from now [and I will give you my answer].” So those leaders and Jeroboam left.

6 And he consulted the king Rehoboam with the elders who they were standing with [the] presence of Solomon father his when was he alive saying how? [are] you counseling to bring back the people this word.

Then King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had advised his father Solomon while he was still living. He asked them, “What shall I say to answer those men?”

7 (And they spoke *Q(K)*) to him saying if this day you will be a servant of the people this and you will serve them and you will answer them and you will speak to them words kind and they will be of you servants all the days.

They replied, “If you want to serve your people well, speak kindly to those men when you reply to them. If you do that, your people will always serve you faithfully.”

8 And he forsook [the] counsel of the elders which they had counseled him and he consulted with the young men who they had grown up with him who [were] the [ones who] stood before him.

But he ignored what the older men advised him to do. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him, who were now (his advisors/the ones who told him what would be good to do).

9 And he said to them what? [are] you counseling and we may bring back word the people this which they have spoken to me saying lighten some of the yoke which he put father your on us.

He said to them, “What should I say to the men who are asking me to reduce the [work and taxes] that my father required from them?”

10 And they spoke to him the young men who they had grown up with him saying thus you will say to the people this which they have spoken to you saying father your he made heavy yoke our and you lighten from on us thus you will speak to them little finger my it is thick more than [the] loins of father my.

They replied, “This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.

11 And now father my he loaded on you a yoke heavy and I I will add to yoke your father my he disciplined you with whips and I I will discipline you with scorpions.

What I mean is that my father required you [to work hard and pay high taxes]. But I will make those loads heavier. [It was as though] my father whipped you, but [it will be as though] I will whip you with whips that have pieces of metal in them.’”

12 (And he came *Q(k)*) Jeroboam and all the people to Rehoboam on the day third just as he had spoken the king saying return to me on the day third.

So three days later, Jeroboam and all the leaders came to Rehoboam again, as he had told them to do.

13 And he answered the king the people hard and he forsook [the] counsel of the elders which they had counseled him.

The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the Israeli leaders.

14 And he spoke to them according to [the] counsel of the young men saying father my he made heavy yoke your and I I will add to yoke your father my he disciplined you with whips and I I will discipline you with scorpions.

[He told them what the younger men had advised.] He said, “My father put heavy burdens [of work and taxes] on you, but I will put heavier burdens on you. [It was as though] he beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have pieces of metal in them!”

15 And not he listened the king to the people for it was a turn from with Yahweh so as to establish word his which he had spoken Yahweh by [the] hand of Ahijah Shilonite to Jeroboam [the] son of Nebat.

So the king did not pay any attention to the Israeli leaders. But this happened in order that what Yahweh wanted would occur, what he had told the prophet Ahijah about Jeroboam [becoming king of the ten tribes].

16 And it saw all Israel that not he had listened the king to them and they brought back the people the king word - saying what? [belongs] to us portion in David and not an inheritance in [the] son of Jesse to tents your O Israel now consider own house your O David and it went Israel to tents its.

When the Israeli leaders realized that the king did not pay any attention to what they said, they shouted, “We do not [RHQ] want anything to do with this descendant of King David! We will not pay attention to what this grandson of Jesse says! You people of Israel, let’s go home! As for this descendant of David [MTY], he can rule his own kingdom [MTY]!” So the Israeli leaders returned to their homes.

17 And [the] people of Israel who were dwelling in [the] cities of Judah and he reigned over them Rehoboam.

And [after that, ] the [only Israeli] people whom Rehoboam ruled over were those who lived in the territory of [the tribe of] Judah.

18 And he sent the king Rehoboam Adoram who [was] over the forced labor and they stoned all Israel him stone[s] and he died and the king Rehoboam he proved himself strong to go up in the chariot to flee Jerusalem.

Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram [to talk to the Israeli people]. Adoniram was the man who supervised [all the men who were] forced to work [for Rehoboam]. But the Israeli people killed him by throwing stones at him. When that happened, King Rehoboam quickly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.

19 And they have rebelled Israel against [the] house of David until the day this.

Ever since that time, the people of [the northern tribes of] Israel have been rebelling against the descendants [MTY] of [King] David.

20 And it was when heard all Israel that he had returned Jeroboam and they sent and they called him to the congregation and they made king him over all Israel not anyone was after [the] house of David except [the] tribe of Judah to only it.

When the Israeli people heard that Jeroboam had returned [from Egypt], they invited him to come to a meeting, and there they appointed him to be the king of Israel. Only the people of the tribes of Judah [and Benjamin] continued to be loyal to [the kings descended from King] [MTY] David.

21 (And he came *Q(K)*) Rehoboam Jerusalem and he called together all [the] house of Judah and [the] tribe of Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen [man] maker[s] of war to do battle with [the] house of Israel to restore the kingship to Rehoboam [the] son of Solomon.

When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes [MTY] of Judah and Benjamin. He wanted them to fight against the northern tribes of [MTY] Israel [and defeat them], in order that he could [rule all the tribes of] his kingdom again.

22 And it came [the] word of God to Shemaiah [the] man of God saying.

But God spoke to the prophet Shemaiah and said this to him:

23 Say to Rehoboam [the] son of Solomon [the] king of Judah and to all [the] house of Judah and Benjamin and [the] rest of the people saying.

“Go and tell this to [Solomon’s son] Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and the people from the northern tribe who live in Judah:

24 Thus he says Yahweh not you must go up and not you must do battle! with countrymen your [the] people of Israel return each to own house his for from with me it has occurred the thing this and they listened to [the] word of Yahweh and they turned back to go according to [the] word of Yahweh.

‘Yahweh says that you must not go to fight against your own relatives, the people of Israel. All of you must go home. What has happened is what Yahweh wanted to happen.’” [So Shemaiah went and told that to them, ] and they all paid attention to what Yahweh had commanded them to do, and they went home.

25 And he built Jeroboam Shechem in [the] hill country of Ephraim and he dwelt in it and he went out from there and he built Penuel.

Then Jeroboam’s workers built [walls around] Shechem [city] in the hilly area [where the descendants] of Ephraim [lived], and he ruled from there for a while. He and his workers then left there and went to Peniel [town], and they built walls around that town.

26 And he said Jeroboam in heart his now it will return the kingdom to [the] house of David.

Then Jeroboam said to himself, “If my people [continue to] go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to Yahweh at the temple there, soon they will again become loyal to Rehoboam, the king of Judah [DOU], and they will kill me.”

27 If it will go up - the people this to make sacrifices in [the] house of Yahweh in Jerusalem and it will return [the] heart of the people this to to lord their to Rehoboam [the] king of Judah and they will kill me and they will return to Rehoboam [the] king of Judah.

28 And he took counsel the king and he made two calves of gold and he said to them [too] much for you for going up Jerusalem here! gods your O Israel which they brought up you from [the] land of Egypt.

So he consulted [his advisors, and then he did what they suggested]. He [told his workers to] make gold [statues of] two calves. Then he said to the people, “You have been going to Jerusalem [to worship] for a long time. It is a big trouble for you to continue going there. You people of Israel, look! These statues are the gods that brought our [ancestors] up from Egypt! [So you can worship these, here!]”

29 And he set the one [calf] in Beth-el and the one [calf] he put in Dan.

He [told his workers to] place one of the statues in Bethel [city in the south] and one in Dan [city in the north].

30 And it became the thing this sin and they went the people before the one [calf] to Dan.

So [what Jeroboam did caused] the people [to] sin. Some of them went and worshiped the calf at Bethel, and others went and worshiped the other calf at Dan.

31 And he made a house of high places and he appointed priests from [the] ends of the people who not they were from [the] descendants of Levi.

[Moses had declared that only men from the tribe of Levi would be priests, but] Jeroboam also told his workers to build shrines on hilltops, and then he appointed men who were not from the tribe of Levi to be priests.

32 And he appointed Jeroboam - a festival in the month eighth on [the] fif-teen day - of the month like the festival - which [was] in Judah and he offered up on the altar so he did in Beth-el to sacrifice to the calves which he had made and he stationed in Beth-el [the] priests of the high places which he had made.

He also appointed Adonijah and two priests, Elishama and Jehoram. They had a celebration at the end of October, like the celebration [of Living in Temporary Shelters] that occurred in Judah [each year]. On the altar [that they built] in Bethel, he offered sacrifices to the gold statues of calves that they had made, and he stationed the priests there at the shrines that his workers had built.

33 And he offered up on the altar - which he had made in Beth-el on [the] fif-teen day in the month eighth in the month which he had devised (from own heart his *Q(K)*) and he appointed a festival for [the] people of Israel and he offered up on the altar to make smoke.

Jeroboam went up to that altar on that day in October which he himself had chosen. There on that altar he burned incense [to be a sacrifice]. And he declared that the people should celebrate that festival [on that same day every year].