1At that time Jeroboam’s son, Abijah, fell sick. 2And Jeroboam told his wife, “Disguise yourself so that you are not recognized as my wife; and go to Shiloh. Ahijah, the prophet who told me that I would be king over this people, is there. 3And take with you ten loaves, cakes, and a cruse of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what shall become of the boy.” 4And so Jeroboam's wife went to Shiloh, to the house of Ahijah. But by now, Ahijah could not see; for his advanced age had dimmed his vision. 5But the LORD had told Ahijah, “The wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son; for he is sick. This is what you shall say to her; for when she comes in, she shall pretend to be another woman.” 6And so, when Ahijah heard her footsteps, as she came in the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am sent to you with bad news. 7Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “I have exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people, Israel, 8And tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it you; and yet you have not acted as My servant David, who kept My commandments, and followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; 9But you have done evil above all who went before you: you have made for yourself other gods, and melted images, to provoke Me to anger, and have turned your back on Me; 10Therefore, I will bring disaster upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every last male – free or slave. I will burn the remnant of the dynasty of Jeroboam, as you would burn dung, until it is all gone. 11Those of Jeroboam that die in the city, the dogs shall eat; and those that die in the field the birds shall eat; for the LORD has spoken it.”’ 12Arise, therefore, get back to your own house; and when you enter the city, the child shall die. 13And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he is the only one of Jeroboam’s family that shall have a proper burial; because only in him, of the entire family of Jeroboam, was there found some good toward the LORD God of Israel. 14The LORD shall raise up for Himself a king over Israel, who shall cut off the family of Jeroboam. This will begin today, and continue. 15For the LORD shall strike Israel, so that it is like a reed swaying in rippling water, and He shall uproot Israel from this good land, which He gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have set up their Asherah poles (idols made of straight stems of a tree), provoking the LORD to anger. 16And He shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned, and caused Israel to sin.” 17And then Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and returned to Tirzah; and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died. 18And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, as the LORD had said, when He spoke through His servant, Ahijah, the prophet. 19And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and reigned, are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 20And the reign of Jeroboam lasted twenty-two years; and then he died, and Nadab, his son, reigned in his stead. 21And Rehoboam, son of Solomon, reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city where the LORD chose to put His name, out of all the tribes and cities of Israel. Rehoboam’s mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 22And Judah did evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking His jealous anger by the sins they committed, more than all their fathers had done. 23For they also built high places, images, and idols, on every high hill, and under every green tree. 24And there were even sodomites (homosexual male shrine prostitutes) in the land; and they engaged in the abominable practices of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 25And in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem: 26And he carried off the treasures from the Temple of the LORD, and from the king's palace. He even took all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27And King Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields, and assigned them to the officers who guarded the entrance to the king's palace. 28And when the king entered the Temple of the LORD, the guard carried them, and then returned them to the guardroom. 29Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and what he did, and his deeds, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31And Rehoboam died and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his son, Abijah, reigned in his stead. Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |