Study Desk

So Jeroboam chose his own time for a festival for the Israelites—the fifteenth day of the eighth month. During that time he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built in Bethel. He set up a festival for the Israelites and offered sacrifices on the altar.

Then the king said to the man of God, "Please pray to the Lord your God for me, and ask him to heal my arm." So the man of God prayed to the Lord , and the king's arm was healed, becoming as it was before.

So he took a different road and did not return on the same road by which he had come to Bethel.

The father asked, "Which road did he use when he left?" So his sons showed him the road the man of God from Judah had taken.

Then the prophet told his sons to put a saddle on his donkey. So they saddled the donkey, and he left.

So the man of God went to the old prophet's house, and he ate and drank with him there.

The Lord commanded you not to eat or drink anything in this place, but you came back and ate and drank. So your body will not be buried in your family grave."

Some men who were traveling on that road saw the body and the lion standing nearby. So they went to the city where the old prophet lived and told what they had seen.

The old prophet who had brought back the man of God heard what had happened. "It is the man of God who did not obey the Lord 's command," he said. "So the Lord sent a lion to kill him, just as he said he would."

So Jeroboam said to his wife, "Go to Shiloh to see the prophet Ahijah. He is the one who said I would become king of Israel. But dress yourself so people won't know you are my wife.

So the king's wife did as he said and went to Ahijah's home in Shiloh. Now Ahijah was very old and blind.

so I will soon bring disaster to your family. I will kill all the men in your family, both slaves and free men. I will destroy your family as completely as fire burns up manure.

Jeroboam sinned, and then he made the people of Israel sin. So the Lord will let the people of Israel be defeated."

So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to put in their place and gave them to the commanders of the guards for the palace gates.

His grandmother Maacah had made a terrible Asherah idol, so Asa removed her from being queen mother. He cut down that idol and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

The places of worship to gods were not removed. Even so, Asa was faithful to the Lord all his life.

Baasha attacked Judah, and he made the town of Ramah strong so he could keep people from leaving or entering Judah, Asa's country.

"Let there be a treaty between you and me as there was between my father and your father. I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will leave my land."

Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa, so he sent the commanders of his armies to attack the towns of Israel. They defeated the towns of Ijon, Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, as well as all Galilee and the area of Naphtali.

Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, made plans to kill Nadab. Nadab and all Israel were attacking the Philistine town of Gibbethon, so Baasha killed Nadab there.