1 Kings 12:1-18, 1 Kings 14:21-31 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

1 Kings 12:1-18

Rehoboam Forsakes the Elders’ Counsel

^aThen Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to ^bShechem to make him king. 2 And it happened, ^awhen Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, ¹he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). 3 Then they sent and called for him. And Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “^aYour father made our yoke harsh; but you, now, lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 Then he said to them, “^aGo ¹for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.
6 Then King Rehoboam ^atook counsel with the elders who had stood before his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to respond to this people?” 7 And they spoke to him, saying, “^aIf you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and ¹grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” 8 But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had counseled him, and took counsel with the young men who grew up with him and stood before him. 9 So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may respond to this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” 10 Then the young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!’ Thus you shall speak to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! 11 So now, my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had spoken, saying, “^aReturn to me on the third day.” 13 And the king answered the people harshly, and he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had ¹given him, 14 and he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “^aMy father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people; ^afor it was a turn of events from Yahweh, ^bthat He might establish His word, which Yahweh spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Israel Rebels Against Judah

16 Then all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them. So the people responded to the king with this word, saying,

“What portion do we have in David?

We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;

^aTo your tents, O Israel!

Now see to your own house, David!”

So Israel went to their tents. 17 But ^aas for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent ^aAdoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel ¹stoned him and he died. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

1 Kings 14:21-31

Rehoboam Reigns over Judah

21 ^aNow Rehoboam the son of Solomon became king in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, ^bthe city which Yahweh had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22 ^aAnd Judah did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and they ^bprovoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with ¹the sins which they sinned. 23 They also built for themselves ^ahigh places and sacred ^bpillars and ¹^cAsherim on every high hill and ^dbeneath every green tree. 24 There were also ^amale cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which Yahweh dispossessed before the sons of Israel.
25 ^aNow it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 And he took the treasures of the house of Yahweh and the treasures of the king’s house. And ^ahe took everything; he ^beven took all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27 Then King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and ^acommitted them into the hand of the commanders of the ¹guard who kept the door of the king’s house. 28 Now it happened as often as the king entered the house of Yahweh, that the ¹guards would carry them and would bring them back into the ¹guards’ room.

The Death of Rehoboam

29 ^aNow the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30 ^aNow there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and ^ahis mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son became king in his place.