The King James Version of the Bible
Part 119
2268 words | Chapter 119
depart, that I may go to mine own country.
11:22 Then Pharaoh said unto him, But what hast thou lacked with me,
that, behold, thou seekest to go to thine own country? And he
answered, Nothing: howbeit let me go in any wise.
11:23 And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of
Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah: 11:24 And
he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when David
slew them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and
reigned in Damascus.
11:25 And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon,
beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and
reigned over Syria.
11:26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda,
Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even
he lifted up his hand against the king.
11:27 And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the
king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of
David his father.
11:28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon
seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over
all the charge of the house of Joseph.
11:29 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of
Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way;
and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in
the field: 11:30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him,
and rent it in twelve pieces: 11:31 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: 11:32 (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:) 11:33 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.
11:34 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:
11:35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give
it unto thee, even ten tribes.
11:36 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.
11:37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that
thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.
11:38 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 build thee a sure house, as I built for David,
and will give Israel unto thee.
11:39 And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.
11:40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose,
and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt
until the death of Solomon.
11:41 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and
his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?
11:42 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel
was forty years.
11:43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city
of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
12:1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem
to make him king.
12:2 And it came to pass, when Jeroboam 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;) 12:3 That they sent and called
him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake
unto Rehoboam, saying, 12:4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: 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.
12:5 And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again
to me. And the people departed.
12:6 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? 12:7 And they spake unto him, saying, If
thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them,
and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy
servants for ever.
12:8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given
him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and
which stood before him: 12:9 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? 12:10 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.
12:11 And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will
add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will
chastise you with scorpions.
12:12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day,
as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.
12:13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old
men’s counsel that they gave him; 12:14 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.
12:15 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.
12:16 So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them,
the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David?
neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O
Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto
their tents.
12:17 But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of
Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
12:18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and
all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king
Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to
Jerusalem.
12:19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.
12:20 And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was
come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and
made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house
of David, but the tribe of Judah only.
12:21 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the
house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore
thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house
of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
12:22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
12:23 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, 12:24 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.
12:25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein;
and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
12:26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to
the house of David: 12:27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the
house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people
turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they
shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
12:28 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:
behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of
Egypt.
12:29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
12:30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship
before the one, even unto Dan.
12:31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the
lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
12:32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the
fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and
he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the
calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the
high places which he had made.
12:33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the
fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had
devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of
Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
13:1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of
the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
13:2 And he cried against the altar in 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.
13:3 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.
13:4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the
man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put
forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand,
which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it
in again to him.
13:5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar,
according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of
the LORD.
13:6 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 the
king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
13:7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and
refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
13:8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half
thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor
drink water in this place: 13:9 For so was it charged me by the word
of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by
the same way that thou camest.
13:10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came
to Bethel.
13:11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and
told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in
Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told
also to their father.
13:12 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.
13:13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled
him the ass: and he rode thereon, 13:14 And went after the man of God,
and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the
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