北方支派背叛羅波安
1羅波安前往示劍，因為以色列人都去了那裡，要立他為王。 2尼八的兒子耶羅波安曾為了躲避所羅門王而逃往埃及，並一直住在那裡。他聽到消息後，便返回以色列。 3以色列人派人去請他，他就和以色列會眾去見羅波安，說： 4「你父親使我們負擔沉重，求你減輕我們的負擔吧，我們一定效忠你。」
5羅波安對他們說：「你們先回去，三天之後再來見我。」眾人就離開了。
6羅波安王去徵詢曾服侍他父親所羅門的老臣的意見，說：「你們認為我該怎樣回覆眾民？」 7他們建議說：「現今王若像僕人一樣服侍民眾，對他們好言相待，他們會永遠做王的僕人。」
8羅波安卻沒有採納老臣的意見。他又去徵詢那些和他一起長大的青年臣僚的意見， 9說：「民眾求我減輕我父親加給他們的重擔。你們認為我該怎樣回覆他們？」
10他們說：「民眾說你父親使他們負擔沉重，請求你減輕他們的負擔。你可以這樣回覆他們，『我的小指頭比我父親的腰還粗。 11我父親使你們負重擔，我要使你們負更重的擔子；我父親用鞭子打你們，我要用刺鞭打你們。』」
12過了三天，耶羅波安和民眾遵照羅波安王的話來見他。 13-14王沒有採納老臣的建議，而是照青年臣僚的建議，疾言厲色地對他們說：「我父親使你們負重擔，我要使你們負更重的擔子！我父親用鞭子打你們，我要用刺鞭打你們！」 15王不聽民眾的請求。這事是出於耶和華的旨意，為要應驗祂藉示羅人亞希雅先知對尼八的兒子耶羅波安說的話。
16以色列人見王不聽他們的請求，就說：
「我們與大衛有何相干？
我們與耶西的兒子沒有關係！
以色列人啊，各自回家吧！
大衛家啊，自己照顧自己吧！」
於是，以色列人各自回家了。 17但住在猶大城邑的以色列人仍受羅波安統治。 18羅波安王派勞役總管亞多蘭去以色列人那裡，以色列人卻用石頭打死了他，羅波安王連忙上車逃回耶路撒冷。 19從此，以色列人反叛大衛家，一直到今天。 20以色列人聽說耶羅波安回來了，就請他到會眾面前，擁立他做以色列人的王。只有猶大支派仍然效忠大衛家。
21羅波安回到耶路撒冷，從猶大和便雅憫支派召集了十八萬精兵，要攻打以色列人，收復全國。 22然而，上帝對祂的僕人示瑪雅說： 23「你去告訴所羅門的兒子猶大王羅波安和猶大、便雅憫支派的人以及其他民眾， 24耶和華這樣說，『你們不要上去與以色列同胞交戰，都回家吧！今日的景況是出於我的旨意。』」眾人聽從了耶和華的話，各自回家去了。
耶羅波安背棄上帝
25耶羅波安在以法蓮山區修建示劍城，住在那裡。他後來又去修建毗努伊勒。 26他心想：「國權恐怕會重歸大衛家。 27若百姓去耶路撒冷，在耶和華的殿獻祭，他們的心必重新歸向他們的主——猶大王羅波安。他們會殺了我，然後投奔猶大王羅波安。」 28他徵詢臣僚的意見後，就鑄造了兩個金牛犢，對民眾說：「以色列人啊，你們上耶路撒冷敬拜太麻煩了。這兩個金牛犢就是領你們出埃及的神明。」 29他把一個金牛犢安置在伯特利，另一個安置在但。 30這使民眾陷入罪中，因為他們開始到但去拜金牛犢。
31耶羅波安又在高崗上修建神廟，任命各樣的人做祭司，他們並非利未人。 32耶羅波安規定每年八月十五日為節期，好像猶大的節期一樣。他自己在伯特利的祭壇上向金牛犢獻祭燒香，又派神廟的祭司在獻祭中司職。 33在八月十五日，就是他私自為以色列人定為節期的日子，他在伯特利的祭壇上燒香。
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.
