23Another adversary that God raised up against Solomonf was Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, King Hadadezer of Zobah, 24when David was slaughtering them. He gathered men about him and became captain over a troop; they went to Damascus and settled there, and they established a kingdom in Damascus. 25He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, adding to the trouble [caused by] Hadad; he repudiated [the authority of] Israel and reigned over Aram.
26Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, the son of a widow whose name was Zeruah, was in Solomon’s service; he raised his hand against the king. 27The circumstances under which he raised his hand against the king were as follows: Solomon built the Millo and repaired the breach of the city of his father, David. 28This Jeroboam was an able man, and when Solomon saw that the young man was a capable worker, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the House of Joseph.
29During that time Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem and the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh met him on the way. He had put on a new robe; and when the two were alone in the open country, 30Ahijah took hold of the new robe he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31“Take ten pieces,” he said to Jeroboam. “For thus said the LORD, the God of Israel: I am about to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hands, and I will give you ten tribes. 32But one tribe shall remain his—for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 33For they have forsaken Me; they have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Phoenicians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites; they have not walked in My ways, or done what is pleasing to Me, or [kept] My laws and rules, as his father David did. 34However, I will not take the entire kingdom away from him, but will keep him as ruler as long as he lives for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, and who kept My commandments and My laws. 35But I will take the kingship out of the hands of his son and give it to you—the ten tribes. 36To his son I will give one tribe, so that there may be a lamp for My servant David forever before Me in Jerusalem—the city where I have chosen to establish My name. 37But you have been chosen by Me; reigng wherever you wish, and you shall be king over Israel. 38If you heed all that I command you, and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, keeping My laws and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you and I will build for you a lasting dynasty as I did for David. I hereby give Israel to you; 39and I will chastise David’s descendants for that [sin], though not forever.”
40Solomon sought to put Jeroboam to death, but Jeroboam promptly fled to King Shishak of Egypt; and he remained in Egypt till the death of Solomon.
41The other events of Solomon’s reign, and all his actions and his wisdom, are recorded in the book of the Annals of Solomon. 42The length of Solomon’s reign in Jerusalem, over all Israel, was forty years. 43Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.
12 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to acclaim him as king. 2Jeroboam son of Nebat learned of it while he was still in Egypt; for Jeroboam had fled from King Solomon, a-and had settled in Egypt.-a 3They sent for him; and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam as follows: 4“Your father made our yoke heavy. Now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke which your father laid on us, and we will serve you.” 5He answered them, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away.
6King Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. He said, “What answer do you advise [me] to give to this people?” 7They answered him, “If you will be a servant to those people today and serve them, and if you respond to them with kind words, they will be your servants always.” 8But he ignored the advice that the elders gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9“What,” he asked, “do you advise that we reply to the people who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father placed upon us’?” 10And the young men who had grown up with him answered, “Speak thus to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us.’ Say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. 11My father imposed a heavy yoke on you, and I will add to your yoke; my father flogged you with whips, but I will flog you with scorpions.’ ”
12Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, since the king had told them: “Come back on the third day.” 13The king answered the people harshly, ignoring the advice that the elders had given him. 14He spoke to them in accordance with the advice of the young men, and said, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father flogged you with whips, but I will flog you with scorpions.” 15(The king did not listen to the people; for the LORD had brought it about in order to fulfill the promise that the LORD had made through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.) 16When all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, the people answered the king:
“We have no portion in David,
No share in Jesse’s son!
To your tents, O Israel!
Now look to your own House, O David.”
So the Israelites returned to their homes.b 17But Rehoboam continued to reign over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.
18King Rehoboam sent Adoram,c who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel pelted him to death with stones. Thereupon King Rehoboam hurriedly mounted his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. 19Thus Israel revolted against the House of David, as is still the case.
20When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent messengers and summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the House of David.
21On his return to Jerusalem, Rehoboam mustered all the House of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 picked warriors, to fight against the House of Israel, in order to restore the kingship to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 22But the word of God came to Shemaiah, the man of God: 23“Say to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all the House of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the people: 24Thus said the LORD: You shall not set out to make war on your kinsmen the Israelites. Let every man return to his home, for this thing has been brought about by Me.” They heeded the word of the LORD and turned back, in accordance with the word of the LORD.
25Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and resided there; he moved out from there and fortified Penuel. 26Jeroboam said to himself, “Now the kingdom may well return to the House of David. 27If these people still go up to offer sacrifices at the House of the LORD in Jerusalem, the heart of these people will turn back to their master, King Rehoboam of Judah; they will kill me and go back to King Rehoboam of Judah.” 28So the king took counsel and made two golden calves. He said to d-the people,-d “You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough. This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29He set up one in Bethel and placed the other in Dan. 30That
