1 Kings 12:20-33 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

1 Kings 12:20-33

20 Now it happened when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the congregation and made him king over all Israel. ^aNone but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
21 ^aThen Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who could wage war, to fight against the house of Israel to return the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to ^aShemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the ^arest of the people, saying, 24 ‘Thus says Yahweh, “You shall not go up and fight against your brothers, the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, ^afor this thing is from Me.”’” So they listened to the word of Yahweh, and returned to go their way according to the word of Yahweh.

Jeroboam Makes Golden Calves

25 Then ^aJeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived ¹there. And he went out from there and built ^bPenuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. 27 ^aIf this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel, and ^amade two golden ^bcalves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; ^cbehold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set ^aone in ^bBethel, and one he put in ^cDan. 30 Now ^athis thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31 And ^ahe made houses on high places, and ^bmade priests from among ¹all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. 32 And Jeroboam made a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, ^alike the feast which is in Judah, and he ¹went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, to sacrifice to the calves which he had made. And he had ^bthe priests of the high places, which he had made, stand in Bethel. 33 Then he ¹went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had ²^adevised ³in his own heart; and he made a feast for the sons of Israel and ¹went up to the altar ^bto burn ⁴incense.