Atifi Fam Mmusuakuo No Te Atua
1Rehoboam kɔɔ Sekem, ɛfiri sɛ, na Israelfoɔ nyinaa akɔ hɔ sɛ wɔrekɔsi no ɔhene. 2Ɛberɛ a Nebat babarima Yeroboam tee sɛ Salomo awuo no, ɔfiri Misraim baeɛ, ɛfiri sɛ ɔdwane firii ɔhene Salomo nsam kɔtenaa Misraim. 3Enti, Israel mpanimfoɔ soma ma wɔkɔfaa Yeroboam, na Israel nnipadɔm no nyinaa kɔɔ Rehoboam nkyɛn, ne no kɔkasaeɛ sɛ, 4“Wʼagya hyɛɛ yɛn ma yɛyɛɛ adwumaden. Yɛsrɛ wo, te saa adwumaden ne apeatoɔ adesoa duruduru a wʼagya de soaa yɛn no so. Woyɛ saa a, yɛbɛsom wo nokorɛ mu.”
5Rehoboam buaa sɛ, “Momma me nnansa na menwene mo asɛm yi ho. Ɛno akyi, mommra mmɛgye me mmuaeɛ.” Enti, nnipa no sane kɔeɛ.
6Na ɔhene Rehoboam ne ne mpanimfoɔ a wɔsom nʼagya Salomo ɛberɛ a ɔte ase no tuu asɛm no ho agyina. Ɔbisaa mpanimfoɔ no sɛ, “Moka asɛm no ho ɛdeɛn? Mmuaeɛ bɛn na memfa mma saa nnipa yi?”
7Wɔbuaa no sɛ, “Sɛ ɛnnɛ yi, wopɛ sɛ woyɛ ɔsomfoɔ ma saa nnipa yi, na woma wɔn mmuaeɛ pa a, ɛnneɛ, daa wɔbɛsom wo nokorɛ mu.”
8Nanso Rehoboam amfa afotuo a mpanimfoɔ no tuu no no. Mmom, ɔkɔɔ nʼatipɛnfoɔ mmabunu bi a ɔne wɔn sii so a na wɔtu no fo no nkyɛn. 9Ɔbisaa wɔn sɛ, “Mo nso mo adwene ne sɛn? Mmuaeɛ bɛn na memfa nkɔma nnipa a wɔpɛ sɛ mete adesoa a mʼagya de soaa wɔn no so?”
10Nʼatipɛnfoɔ mmabunu buaa no sɛ, “Ka kyerɛ wɔn a wɔnwiinwii no sɛ, ‘Me kɔkorɔbɛto mu pi sene mʼagya asene; sɛ modwene sɛ ɔhyɛɛ mo so dodo a, montwɛn na monhwɛ sɛdeɛ mɛyɛ.’ 11Aane, mʼagya yɛɛ den wɔ mo so, na mɛyɛ aboro saa. Mʼagya kaa mo mpire a, me deɛ mede anyanyankyerɛ bɛkeka mo.”
12Nnansa akyi, Yeroboam ne nnipa no nyinaa sane baa sɛ wɔrebɛtie Rehoboam mmuaeɛ, sɛdeɛ ɔkaeɛ no. 13Ɔhene no buaa nnipa no abufuo so. Wamfa mpanimfoɔ no afotuo no; 14ɔfaa mmabunu no afotuo. Ɔka kyerɛɛ nnipa no sɛ, “Mʼagya yɛɛ den wɔ mo so, na mɛyɛ aboro saa. Mʼagya hwee mo mpire na me deɛ mede anyanyankyerɛ bɛkeka mo.” 15Enti, ɔhene no antie nnipa no adesrɛ. Sɛdeɛ nneɛma mu daneeɛ no nyinaa firi Awurade, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛmaa asɛm a Awurade nam Ahiya a ɔfiri Silo so ka kyerɛɛ Nebat babarima Yeroboam no baa mu.
16Ɛberɛ a Israel nyinaa hunuu sɛ ɔhene anyɛ wɔn abisadeɛ amma wɔn no, wɔteateaam sɛ, “Yɛne Dawid nni hwee yɛ! Yɛne Yisai babarima no nni hwee yɛ! Israel, momma yɛnkɔ yɛn nkyi! Dawid, hwɛ wʼankasa wo fie so!” Enti, Israelfoɔ no sane kɔɔ wɔn fie. 17Na Rehoboam toaa so dii Israelfoɔ a wɔtenaa Yuda nkuro so no nyinaa so ɔhene.
18Na ɔhene Rehoboam somaa Adoram a na ɔtua adwumayɛfoɔ ano no sɛ ɔnkɔhwɛ, na asomdwoeɛ mmra, nanso Israel nyinaa sii no aboɔ, kumm no. Ɛberɛ a ɔhene Rehoboam tee saa asɛm yi no, ntɛm ara, ɔhuri tenaa ne teaseɛnam mu, dwane kɔɔ Yerusalem. 19Israel mmusuakuo a wɔwɔ atifi fam no ampene sɛ Dawid aseni bɛdi wɔn so, de bɛsi ɛnnɛ.
20Ɛberɛ a Israelfoɔ tee sɛ Yeroboam firi Misraim asane aba no, wɔyɛɛ nhyiamu, sii no ɔhene wɔ Israel nyinaa so. Enti, Yuda abusuakuo no nko ara na wɔkaeɛ, somm Dawid fie nokorɛ mu.
Semaia Nkɔmhyɛ
21Ɛberɛ a Rehoboam duruu Yerusalem no, ɔboaboaa Yuda ne Benyamin akodɔm ano. Ɔyii akofoɔ mpem ɔha ne aduɔwɔtwe, sɛ wɔrekɔko atia Israel akodɔm, na wɔafa ahemman no adi so.
22Nanso, Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ Semaia, Onyankopɔn onipa no sɛ, 23“Ka kyerɛ Salomo babarima Rehoboam, Yudahene ne nnipa a wɔfiri Yuda ne Benyamin sɛ, 24‘Sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie, Mo ne mo nuanom Israelfoɔ nntwa mo ho nko. Monsane nkɔ mo akyi, na deɛ asi no nyinaa firi me!’ ” Enti, wɔtiee Awurade asɛm no, sane kɔɔ wɔn fie sɛdeɛ Awurade hyɛeɛ no.
Yeroboam Yɛ Sika Anantwie
25Yeroboam kyekyeree Sekem kuro wɔ Efraim bepɔ asase so, ma ɛbɛyɛɛ ne kuropɔn. Akyire yi, ɔkɔkyekyeree kuro Penuel. 26Yeroboam dwenee ho dinn, see nʼakomam sɛ, “Sɛ manhwɛ yie a, ahemman no bɛsane akɔ Dawid fiefoɔ adedifoɔ nsam. 27Na sɛ wɔkɔ Yerusalem, kɔbɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu nso a, wɔbɛsom Yudahene Rehoboam. Ɛba saa a, wɔbɛkum me, de ɔno mmom asi wɔn so ɔhene.”
28Enti, ɔtiee deɛ nʼafotufoɔ ka, na ɔyɛɛ sikakɔkɔɔ anantwie mma mmienu. Ɔka kyerɛɛ nnipa no sɛ, “Ɛyɛ ɔbrɛ bebree sɛ mobɛforo akɔ Yerusalem akɔsom. Ɛno enti, Israel, yeinom ne anyame a wɔyii mo firii Misraim!” 29Ɔde nantwie mma ahoni yi sisii Israel anafoɔ ne atifi, wɔ Bet-El ne Dan. 30Yei bɛyɛɛ bɔne kɛseɛ, ɛfiri sɛ, nnipa no somm ahoni no, a na mpo wɔtwa ɛkwan kɔ Dan.
31Yeroboam12.31 Yeroboam yii asɔfoɔ a wɔnyɛ Lewifoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ, na Lewifoɔ bebree ne Rehoboam adwane kɔ Yerusalem akɔpɛ dwanekɔbea (2 Be 11.13-17). sisii abosonnan wɔ nkokoɔ so, na ɔpaa asɔfoɔ firii nnipa no mu a na wɔmfiri Lewi asɔfoɔ abusua mu. 32Yeroboam hyehyɛɛ nyamesom dapɔnna wɔ Bet-El a na wɔdi saa nna no Bul bosome (bɛyɛ Ahinime) mu a na ɛte sɛ Yuda Dwanekɔbea Afahyɛ no ara. Bet-El hɔ na ɔno ankasa bɔɔ afɔdeɛ maa anantwie mma ahoni a wayɛ no. Na Bet-El hɔ ara nso, na ɔpaa asɔfoɔ, maa abosomfie a ɔsisiiɛ no. 33Na ɔno ankasa yii da bi too hɔ, Bul bosome (bɛyɛ Ɔsannaa) mfimfini mu hɔ, na Yeroboam kɔbɔɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ afɔrebukyia so wɔ Bet-El. Ɔhyɛɛ anyamesom afahyɛ ase maa Israel, na ɔforo kɔɔ afɔrebukyia no so kɔhyee aduhwam.
Israel Refuses to Follow Rehoboam
1Rehoboam went to the city of Shechem. All the Israelites had gone there to make him king. 2Jeroboam heard about it. He was the son of Nebat. Jeroboam was still in Egypt at that time. He had gone there for safety. He wanted to get away from King Solomon. But now he returned from Egypt. 3So the people sent for Jeroboam. He and the whole community of Israel went to Rehoboam. They said to him, 4“Your father put a heavy load on our shoulders. But now make our hard work easier. Make the heavy load on us lighter. Then we’ll serve you.”
5Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days. Then come back to me.” So the people went away.
6King Rehoboam asked the elders for advice. They had served his father Solomon while he was still living. Rehoboam asked them, “What advice can you give me? How should I answer these people?”
7They replied, “Serve them today. Give them what they are asking for. Then they’ll always serve you.”
8But Rehoboam didn’t accept the advice the elders gave him. Instead, he asked for advice from the young men. They had grown up with him and were now serving him. 9He asked them, “What’s your advice? How should I answer these people? They say to me, ‘Make the load your father put on our shoulders lighter.’ ”
10The young men who had grown up with him gave their answer. They replied, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy load on our shoulders. Make it lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is stronger than my father’s legs. 11My father put a heavy load on your shoulders. But I’ll make it even heavier. My father beat you with whips. But I’ll beat you with bigger whips.’ ”
12Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam. That’s because the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.” 13The king answered the people in a mean way. He didn’t accept the advice the elders had given him. 14Instead, he followed the advice of the young men. He said, “My father put a heavy load on your shoulders. But I’ll make it even heavier. My father beat you with whips. But I’ll beat you with bigger whips.” 15So the king didn’t listen to the people. That’s because the Lord had planned it that way. What he had said through Ahijah came true. Ahijah had spoken the Lord’s message to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Ahijah was from Shiloh.
16All the Israelites saw that the king refused to listen to them. So they answered the king. They said,
“We don’t have any share in David’s royal family.
We don’t have any share in Jesse’s son.
People of Israel, let’s go back to our homes.
David’s royal family, take care of your own kingdom!”
So the Israelites went home. 17But Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites living in the towns of Judah.
18Adoniram was in charge of those who were forced to work hard for King Rehoboam. The king sent him out among all the Israelites. But they killed Adoniram by throwing stones at him. King Rehoboam was able to get away in his chariot. He escaped to Jerusalem. 19Israel has refused to follow the royal family of David to this day.
20All the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned. They sent for him. They wanted him to meet with the whole community. Then they made him king over the entire nation of Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained true to David’s royal family.
21Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem. He brought together 180,000 capable young men from Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. He had decided to go to war against Israel. Solomon’s son Rehoboam wanted his fighting men to get the kingdom of Israel back for him.
22But a message from God came to Shemaiah. He was a man of God. God said to him, 23“Speak to Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the king of Judah. Speak to all Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. Also speak to the rest of the people. Tell all of them, 24‘The Lord says, “Do not go up to fight against the Israelites. They are your relatives. I want every one of you to go back home. Things have happened exactly the way I planned them.” ’ ” So the fighting men obeyed the Lord’s message. They went home again, just as he had ordered.
Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan
25Jeroboam built up the walls of Shechem. It was in the hill country of Ephraim. Jeroboam made Shechem his home. From there he went out and built up Peniel.
26Jeroboam thought, “My kingdom still isn’t secure. It could very easily go back to the royal family of David. 27Suppose the Israelites go up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Lord’s temple. If they do, they will again decide to follow Rehoboam as their master. Then they’ll kill me. They’ll return to King Rehoboam. He is king of Judah.”
28So King Jeroboam asked for advice. Then he made two golden statues that looked like calves. He said to the people, “It’s too hard for you to go up to Jerusalem. Israel, here are your gods who brought you up out of Egypt.” 29He set up one statue in Bethel. He set up the other one in Dan. 30What Jeroboam did was sinful. And it caused Israel to sin. The people came to worship the statue at Bethel. They went all the way to Dan to worship the statue that was there.
31Jeroboam built temples for worshiping gods on high places. He appointed all kinds of people as priests. They didn’t even have to be Levites. 32He established a feast. It was on the 15th day of the eighth month. He wanted to make it like the Feast of Booths that was held in Judah. Jeroboam built an altar at Bethel. He offered sacrifices on it. He sacrificed to the calves he had made. He also put priests in Bethel. He did it at the high places he had made. 33He offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. It was on the 15th day of the eighth month. That’s the month he had chosen for it. So he established the feast for the Israelites. And he went up to the altar to sacrifice offerings.
