Study Desk

If you will listen to all that I command you, walk in my ways, and do what is right in my sight by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you, and will build you an enduring house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

For this reason I will punish the descendants of David, but not forever."

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt.

He said to them, "Go away for three days, then come again to me." So the people went away.

The young men who had grown up with him said to him, "Thus you should say to this people who spoke to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you must lighten it for us'; thus you should say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.

"Thus says the Lord , You shall not go up or fight against your kindred the people of Israel. Let everyone go home, for this thing is from me." So they heeded the word of the Lord and went home again, according to the word of the Lord .

And this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one at Bethel and before the other as far as Dan.

He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he alone had devised; he appointed a festival for the people of Israel, and he went up to the altar to offer incense.

The king said to the man of God, "Entreat now the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God entreated the Lord ; and the king's hand was restored to him, and became as it was before.

For thus I was commanded by the word of the Lord : You shall not eat food, or drink water, or return by the way that you came."

Then he said to his sons, "Saddle a donkey for me." So they saddled a donkey for him, and he mounted it.

for it was said to me by the word of the Lord : You shall not eat food or drink water there, or return by the way that you came."

After the man of God had eaten food and had drunk, they saddled for him a donkey belonging to the prophet who had brought him back.

Then he said to his sons, "Saddle a donkey for me." So they saddled one,

For the saying that he proclaimed by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass."

Even after this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people; any who wanted to be priests he consecrated for the high places.

Jeroboam said to his wife, "Go, disguise yourself, so that it will not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh; for the prophet Ahijah is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people.

Jeroboam's wife did so; she set out and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.

But the Lord said to Ahijah, "The wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son; for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her." When she came, she pretended to be another woman.