| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New International Version |
| 1Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. | 1Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. |
| 2Now when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). | 2When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. |
| 3Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, | 3So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: |
| 4"Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." | 4"Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you." |
| 5Then he said to them, "Depart for three days, then return to me." So the people departed. | 5Rehoboam answered, "Go away for three days and then come back to me." So the people went away. |
| 6King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you counsel me to answer this people?" | 6Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How would you advise me to answer these people?" he asked. |
| 7Then they spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever." | 7They replied, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants." |
| 8But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him. | 8But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. |
| 9So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" | 9He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?" |
| 10The 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!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! | 10The young men who had grown up with him replied, "These people have said to you, 'Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.' Now tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. |
| 11'Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'" | 11My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.'" |
| 12Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had directed, saying, "Return to me on the third day." | 12Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, "Come back to me in three days." |
| 13The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him, | 13The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, |
| 14and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My 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." | 14he followed the advice of the young men and said, "My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions." |
| 15So the king did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the LORD, that He might establish His word, which the LORD spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. | 15So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite. |
| 16When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; To your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!" So Israel departed to their tents. | 16When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: "What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse's son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!" So the Israelites went home. |
| 17But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. | 17But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them. |
| 18Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. | 18King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. |
| 19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. | 19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. |
| 20It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David. | 20When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David. |
| 21Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. | 21When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered all Judah and the tribe of Benjamin--a hundred and eighty thousand able young men--to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon. |
| 22But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, | 22But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: |
| 23"Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the rest of the people, saying, | 23"Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, |
| 24Thus says the LORD, "You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me."'" So they listened to the word of the LORD, and returned and went their way according to the word of the LORD. | 24This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.'" So they obeyed the word of the LORD and went home again, as the LORD had ordered. |
| 25Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. | 25Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel. |
| 26Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. | 26Jeroboam thought to himself, "The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. |
| 27"If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD 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." | 27If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam." |
| 28So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt." | 28After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." |
| 29He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. | 29One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. |
| 30Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. | 30And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other. |
| 31And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. | 31Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. |
| 32Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. | 32He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. |
| 33Then he went 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 devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense. | 33On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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