1 Kings 12

1 Forsothe Roboam cam in to Sichem; for al Israel was gaderid thidur to make hym kyng.

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

2 `And sotheli Jeroboam, sone of Nabath, whanne he was yit in Egipt, and fledde fro the face of kyng Salomon, turnede ayen fro Egipt, for the deeth of Salomon was herd;

And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelled in Egypt; )

3 and thei senten, and clepiden hym. Therfor Jeroboam cam, and al the multitude of Israel, and thei spaken to Roboam,

That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

4 and seiden, Thi fadir puttide hardeste yok on vs, therfor abate thou a litil now of the hardest comaundement of thi fadir, and of the greuousiste yok which he puttide on vs, and we schulen serue to thee.

Your father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make you the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.

5 Which Roboam seide to hem, Go ye `til to the thridde dai, and turne ye ayen to me.

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

6 And whanne the puple hadde go, kyng Roboam took counsel with the eldere men, that stoden bifor Salomon, his fadir, while he lyuyde yit; and Roboam seide, What counsel yyue ye to me, that Y answere to the puple?

And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do you advise that I may answer this people?

7 Whiche seiden to hym, If thou obeiest to dai to this puple, and seruest this puple, and yyuest stide to her axyng, and spekist to hem liyte wordis, thei schulen be seruauntis to thee in alle daies.

And they spoke to him, saying, If you will be a servant to this people this day, and will serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants for ever.

8 Which Roboam forsook the counsel of elde men, which thei yauen to hym, and took yonge men, that weren nurschid with hym, and stoden nyy him;

But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:

9 and he seide to hem, What counsel yyue ye to me, that Y answere to this puple, that seiden to me, Make thou esyere the yok which thi fadir puttide on vs?

And he said to them, What counsel give you that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which your father did put on us lighter?

10 And the yonge men, that weren nurschid with hym, seiden to hym, Thus speke thou to this puple, that spaken to thee, and seiden, Thi fadir made greuouse oure yok, releeue thou vs; thus thou schalt speke to hem, My leest fyngur is grettere than the bak of my fader;

And the young men that were grown up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus shall you speak to this people that spoke to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, but make you it lighter to us; thus shall you say to them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins.

11 and now my fadir puttide on you a greuouse yok, forsothe Y schal adde on youre yok; my fadir beet you with scourgis, forsothe Y schal bete you with scorpiouns.

And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father has chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

12 Therfor Jeroboam, and al the puple, cam to Roboam, in the thridde dai, as the kyng spak, seiynge, Turne ye ayen to me in the thridde dai.

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

13 And the kyng answeride harde thingis to the puple, while the counsel of eldere men was forsakun, which thei hadden youe to hym;

And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him;

14 and he spak to hem bi the counsel of yonge men, and seide, My fadir made greuouse youre yok, forsothe Y schal adde to youre yok; my fadir beet you with scourgis, forsothe Y schal bete you with scorpiouns.

And spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

15 And the kyng assentide not to the puple, for the Lord hadde turned awey, `ether hadde wlatid hym, that the Lord schulde reise his word, which he hadde spoke in the hond of Ahias of Silo to Jeroboam, sone of Nabath.

Why the king listened not to the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16 Therfor the puple siy, that the kyng nolde here hem; and the puple answeride to the kyng, and seide, What part is to vs in Dauid, ether what eritage in the sone of Ysay? Israel, turne thou ayen in to thi tabernaclis; now, Dauid, se thou thin hows. And Israel yede in to hise tabernaclis.

So when all Israel saw that the king listened not to them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to your own house, David. So Israel departed to their tents.

17 Forsothe Roboam regnede on the sones of Israel, whiche euere dwelliden in the citees of Juda.

But as for the children of Israel which dwelled in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

18 Therfore kyng Roboam sente Adhuram, that was on the tributis; and al the puple of Israel stonyde hym, and he was deed.

Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

19 Forsothe kyng Roboam stiede hastili on the chare, and fledde in to Jerusalem; and Israel departide fro the hows of Dauid, til in to present dai.

So Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day.

20 Forsothe it was doon, whanne al Israel hadde herd that Jeroboam turnede ayen, thei senten, and clepiden hym, whanne the cumpany was gaderid togidere, and thei maden hym kyng on al Israel; and no man suede the hows of Dauid, outakun the lynage aloone of Juda.

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

21 Forsothe Roboam cam to Jerusalem, and gaderide al the hows of Juda, and the lynage of Beniamyn, an hundrid and fourescore thousynde of chosun men and weriours, that thei schulden fiyte ayens the hows of Israel, and schulden brynge ayen the rewme to Roboam, sone of Solomon.

And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

22 Forsothe the word of God was made to Semeia, the man of God, and seide,

But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

23 Speke thou to Roboam, sone of Salomon, the kyng of Juda, and to al the hows of Juda and of Beniamyn, and to the residue of the puple, and seie thou, The Lord seith thes thingis,

Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,

24 Ye schulen not stie, nether ye schulen fiyte ayens youre britheren, the sones of Israel; `a man turne ayen in to his hows, for this word is doon of me. Thei herden the word of the Lord, and thei turneden ayen fro the iurney, as the Lord comaundide to hem.

Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They listened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.

25 Forsothe Jeroboam bildide Sichem, in the hil of Effraym, and dwellide there; and he yede out fro thennus, and bildide Phanuel.

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelled therein; and went out from there, and built Penuel.

26 And Jeroboam seide in his herte, Now the rewme schal turne ayen to the hows of Dauid,

And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:

27 if this puple stieth to Jerusalem, that it make sacrifices in the hows of the Lord in Jerusalem; and the herte of this puple schal turne to her lord, Roboam, kyng of Juda; and thei schulen sle me, and schulen turne ayen to hym.

If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.

28 And by counsel thouyt out, he made tweyne goldun caluys, and seide to hem, Nyle ye stie more in to Jerusalem; Israel, lo! thi goddis, that ledden thee out of the lond of Egipt.

Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

29 And he settide oon in Bethel, and the tother in Dan.

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

30 And this word was maad to Israel in to synne; for the puple yede til in to Dan, to worschipe the calf.

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

31 And Jeroboam made templis in hiye placis, and `he made preestis of the laste men of the puple, that weren not of the sones of Leuy.

And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

32 And he ordeynede a solempne dai in the eiythe monethe, in the fiftenthe dai of the monethe, bi the licnesse of solempnyte which was halewid in Juda. And he stiede, and made in lijk maner an auter in Bethel, that he schulde offre to the calues, whiche he hadde maad; and he ordeynede in Bethel preestis of the hiye places, whiche he hadde maad.

And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like to the feast that is in Judah, and he offered on the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

33 And he styede on the auter, which he hadde bildid in Bethel, in the fiftenthe day of the eiythe monethe, which he hadde feyned of his herte; and he made solempnyte to the sones of Israel, and he stiede on the auter, that he schulde brenne encence.

So he offered on the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast to the children of Israel: and he offered on the altar, and burnt incense.