| NET Bible | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in Shechem to make Rehoboam king. | 1Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. |
| 2When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. | 2When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he was still in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. |
| 3They sent for him, and Jeroboam and the whole Israelite assembly came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, | 3So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam and said, |
| 4"Your father made us work too hard. Now if you lighten the demands he made and don't make us work as hard, we will serve you." | 4“Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” |
| 5He said to them, "Go away for three days, then return to me." So the people went away. | 5Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed. |
| 6King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, "How do you advise me to answer these people?" | 6Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked. |
| 7They said to him, "Today if you show a willingness to help these people and grant their request, they will be your servants from this time forward." | 7They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.” |
| 8But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. | 8But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him. |
| 9He asked them, "How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, 'Lessen the demands your father placed on us'?" | 9He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?” |
| 10The young advisers with whom Rehoboam had grown up said to him, "Say this to these people who have said to you, 'Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.' Say this to them: 'I am a lot harsher than my father! | 10The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! |
| 11My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.'" | 11Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’ ” |
| 12Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, "Return to me on the third day." | 12After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.” |
| 13The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older men | 13And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders |
| 14and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said, "My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh." | 14and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.” |
| 15The king refused to listen to the people, because the LORD was instigating this turn of events so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. | 15So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite. |
| 16When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, "We have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse! Return to your homes, O Israel! Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!" So Israel returned to their homes. | 16When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home, |
| 17(Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) | 17but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah. |
| 18King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. | 18Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem. |
| 19So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day. | 19So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David. |
| 20When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one except the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty. | 20When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David. |
| 21When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. | 21And when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. |
| 22But God told Shemaiah the prophet, | 22But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: |
| 23"Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the rest of the people, | 23“Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people |
| 24The LORD says this: "Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen."'" They obeyed the LORD and went home as the LORD had ordered them to do. | 24that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’ ” So they listened to the word of the LORD and turned back according to the word of the LORD. |
| 25Jeroboam built up Shechem in the Ephraimite hill country and lived there. From there he went out and built up Penuel. | 25Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And from there he went out and built Penuel. |
| 26Jeroboam then thought to himself: "Now the Davidic dynasty could regain the kingdom. | 26Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David. |
| 27If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the LORD's temple in Jerusalem, their loyalty could shift to their former master, King Rehoboam of Judah. They might kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah." | 27If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, their hearts will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah; then they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” |
| 28After the king had consulted with his advisers, he made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, "It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt." | 28After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” |
| 29He put one in Bethel and the other in Dan. | 29One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. |
| 30This caused Israel to sin; the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves. | 30And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves. |
| 31He built temples on the high places and appointed as priests people who were not Levites. | 31Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites. |
| 32Jeroboam inaugurated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival celebrated in Judah. On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the calves he had made. In Bethel he also appointed priests for the high places he had made. | 32And Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had set up, and he installed priests in Bethel for the high places he had set up. |
| 33On the fifteenth day of the eighth month (a date he had arbitrarily chosen) Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had made in Bethel. He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices. | 33On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel. So he ordained a feast for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense. |
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