12 2 Ahijah's prophecy. BEFORE CHRIST about 980. ver. 11, 13. & ver. 5, 6, 7. h ch. 12. 16, 17. ch. 15. 4. 2 Kings 8. 19. Ps. 132. 17. Heb. lamp, Or, candle. I. KINGS, XII. 31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: 32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel :) 33 & Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. 34 Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: 35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. 36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. 37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. 38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and Sam. 7. 11, build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. osh. 1. 5. 7. Solomon's death. to Shechem to make him king. 2 And it came to pass, when Je-ch. 11. 26. roboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt ;) 3 That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, 11-18. ch. 4.7. 4 Thy father made our yoke griev-1 Sam. 8. ous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. 5 And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed. 6 ¶ And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? e 7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto 2 Chron. 10.7. this people this day, and wilt serve Prov. 15. 1. Rehoboam, refusing the old men's I. KINGS, XII. BEFORE CHRIST 975. them, and answer them, and speak 8 But he forsook the counsel of 9 And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter? 10 And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. counsel, ten tribes revolt. 17 But as for the children of ch. 11.13, 36. Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. k 14. 18 Then king Rehoboam sent ch. 4. 6. & 5. 19 So 'Israel rebelled against the 2 strengthened himself. 21. 2 Kings 17. 3 Or, fell away m ch. 11. 13, 32 11 And now whereas my father did 13 And the king answered the peoHeb. hardly. ple roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him; 14 And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. ver. 24. Judg. 14. 4. ch. 11. 11, 31. 15 Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat. g 16 So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, say2 Sam. 20. 1. ing, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O 22 But • the word of God came 2 Chron. 11.2. unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 24 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD. Jeroboam's idolatrous worship. I. KINGS, XIII. BEFORE CHRIST 975. 'Deut. 12. 5, 6. * 2 Kings 10. 29. & 17. 16. His hand withereth. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, AND, behold, there came a man Now shall the kingdom return to 8 of God out of Judah by the 28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem : Exod. 32. 4, "behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 8. * Gen. 28. 19. Hos. 4. 15. 'Judg. 18. 29. 2 ch. 13. 34. 2 Kings 17. 21. ch. 13. 32. ch. 13. 33. X 29 And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. 31 And he made an house of high 2 And he cried against the altar inch. 12. 32, 33. the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee. d 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. 4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put Numb. 3. 10. places, and made priests of the low-forth his hand from the altar, say- € 2 Kings 23. 15, 16. d Isai. 7. 14. John 2. 18. 1 Cor. 1. 22. e Exod. 8. 8. & Numb. 21. 7. of the 6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and Heb. the face the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. 7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and 'I will give thee1 Sam. 9. 7. a reward. LORD. The prophet is seduced. BEFORE CHRIST 975. 2 Heb. son. ver. 8, 9. 3 Heb. a word was. * ch. 20. 35. 1 Thess. 4. 15. I. KINGS, XIII. again by the same way that thou camest. 10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el. 11 ¶ Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and his 2 sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father. 12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. 13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass and he rode thereon, 14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am. 15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. 16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: k 17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. 18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. 19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. 20 And it came to pass, as they ¶ sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: 21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the He is slain by a lion. commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, 22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the 'place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. 23 ¶ And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 And when he was gone," a lion met him by the way, and slew him : and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. 25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing_by_the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. BEFORE CHRIST 975. 1 ver. 9. m ch. 20. 36. 26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and Heb. broken. slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him. 27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him. 28 And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass. 3 29 And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him. 30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, " Alas, my brother! n 31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre |