The Northern Tribes Revolt
(2 Chronicles 10.1-19)1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the people of northern Israel had gathered to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had gone to Egypt to escape from King Solomon, heard this news, he returned from Egypt. 3 The people of the northern tribes sent for him, and then they all went together to Rehoboam and said to him, 4 “Your father Solomon treated us harshly and placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects.”
5 “Come back in three days and I will give you my answer,” he replied. So they left.
6 King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served as his father Solomon's advisers. “What answer do you advise me to give these people?” he asked.
7 They replied, “If you want to serve this people well, give a favorable answer to their request, and they will always serve you loyally.”
8 But he ignored the advice of the older men and went instead to the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers. 9 “What do you advise me to do?” he asked. “What shall I say to the people who are asking me to make their burdens lighter?”
10 They replied, “This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!’ 11 Tell them, ‘My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!’”
12 Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to King Rehoboam, as he had instructed them. 13 The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the people, 14 as the younger men had advised. He said, “My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!” 15 It was the will of the Lord to bring about what he had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. This is why the king did not pay any attention to the people.
16 When the people saw that the king would not listen to them, they shouted, “Down with David and his family! What have they ever done for us? People of Israel, let's go home! Let Rehoboam look out for himself!”
So the people of Israel rebelled, 17 leaving Rehoboam as king only of the people who lived in the territory of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the forced labor, to go to the Israelites, but they stoned him to death. At this, Rehoboam hurriedly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem. 19 Ever since that time the people of the northern kingdom of Israel have been in rebellion against the dynasty of David.
20 When the people of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned from Egypt, they invited him to a meeting of the people and made him king of Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David's descendants.
Shemaiah's Prophecy
(2 Chronicles 11.1-4)21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he called together 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He intended to go to war and restore his control over the northern tribes of Israel. 22 But God told the prophet Shemaiah 23 to give this message to Rehoboam and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin: 24 “Do not attack your own relatives, the people of Israel. Go home, all of you. What has happened is my will.” They all obeyed the Lord's command and went back home.
Jeroboam Turns Away from God
25 King Jeroboam of Israel fortified the town of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there for a while. Then he left and fortified the town of Penuel. 26-27 He said to himself, “As things are now, if my people go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to the Lord in the Temple there, they will transfer their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah and will kill me.”
28 After thinking it over, he made two bull-calves of gold and said to his people, “You have been going long enough to Jerusalem to worship. People of Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt!” 29 He placed one of the gold bull-calves in Bethel and the other in Dan. 30 And so the people sinned, going to worship in Bethel and in Dan. 31 Jeroboam also built places of worship on hilltops, and he chose priests from families who were not of the tribe of Levi.
Worship at Bethel Is Condemned
32 Jeroboam also instituted a religious festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival in Judah. On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the gold bull-calves he had made, and he placed there in Bethel the priests serving at the places of worship he had built. 33 And on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the day that he himself had set, he went to Bethel and offered a sacrifice on the altar in celebration of the festival he had instituted for the people of Israel.
Israēls saceļas pret Rehabeāmu
(2L 10:1–19)1 Rehabeāms devās uz Šehemu, jo viss Israēls bija sanācis Šehemā, lai viņu ieceltu par ķēniņu. 2 To dzirdēja Jārobāms, Nebāta dēls, kurš vēl bija Ēģiptē, kurp bija aizbēdzis no ķēniņa Sālamana. Jārobāms dzīvoja Ēģiptē. 3 Un tie sūtīja viņam pakaļ, un Jārobāms nāca ar visu Israēla sapulci un sacīja Rehabeāmam: 4 “Tavs tēvs darīja smagu mūsu jūgu, bet tu tagad atvieglini sava tēva smagās klaušas un jūgu, ko viņš mums uzlicis, tad mēs tev kalposim!” 5 Un viņš tiem atbildēja: “Ejiet prom un nāciet pie manis pēc trim dienām!” Un tauta aizgāja.
6 Ķēniņš Rehabeāms apspriedās ar vecajiem, kas bija kalpojuši viņa tēvam Sālamanam viņa dzīves laikā, un jautāja: “Kāds ir jūsu padoms – ko lai atbildu šai tautai?” 7 Un tie viņam sacīja: “Ja tu šajā dienā būsi tautas kalps, kalposi viņiem un atbildēsi laipniem vārdiem, tad viņi būs tavi kalpi uz visiem laikiem.” 8 Bet viņš atmeta vecajo doto padomu un apspriedās ar jaunekļiem, kas bija uzauguši kopā ar viņu un viņam kalpoja. 9 Viņš tiem jautāja: “Ko jūs iesakāt atbildēt šai tautai, kas man teica: atvieglini to jūgu, ko tavs tēvs mums uzlika?” 10 Un jaunekļi, kas bija ar viņu kopā uzauguši, sacīja: “Tā atbildi tautai, kas tev teica: tavs tēvs darīja grūtu mūsu jūgu, bet tu mums to atvieglini! – tā saki viņiem: mans maziņais ir resnāks nekā mana tēva gurni! 11 Mans tēvs jums uzkrāva smagu jūgu, bet es vēl pielikšu jūsu jūgam – mans tēvs jūs pārmācīja ar pātagām, bet es jūs pārmācīšu ar skarpijiem! ”
12 Trešajā dienā Jārobāms un visa tauta atnāca pie Rehabeāma, jo ķēniņš bija teicis: “Nāciet pie manis trešajā dienā.” 13 Ķēniņš tautai atbildēja bargi, atmezdams vecajo padomu. 14 Viņš runāja ar tiem, kā bija ieteikuši jaunekļi: “Mans tēvs darīja smagu jūsu jūgu, bet es vēl pielikšu jūsu jūgam – mans tēvs jūs pārmācīja ar pātagām, bet es jūs pārmācīšu ar skarpijiem!” 15 Un ķēniņš neuzklausīja tautu, jo Kungs pavērsa tā, lai piepildītos viņa vārds, ko viņš bija sacījis par Jārobāmu, Nebāta dēlu, caur Ahiju no Šīlo.
16 Tad viss Israēls redzēja, ka ķēniņš viņus nav uzklausījis, un ļaudis atbildēja ķēniņam: “Kāda mums daļa gar Dāvidu? Vai mantojums mums pie Jišaja dēla! Israēl, uz savām teltīm! Uzraugi pats savu namu, Dāvid!” Un Israēls devās uz savām teltīm. 17 Bet pār tiem Israēla dēliem, kuri dzīvoja Jūdas pilsētās, valdīja Rehabeāms.
18 Ķēniņš Rehabeāms sūtīja Adorāmu, kas pārraudzīja strādniekus, bet viss Israēls viņu nomētāja akmeņiem, un viņš nomira. Bet ķēniņš Rehabeāms steigšus kāpa ratos, lai bēgtu uz Jeruzālemi. 19 Un Israēls ir atkritis no Dāvida nama līdz šai dienai.
Jārobāms valda pār Israēlu – pirmā dinastija
(2L 11:1–4)20 Kad viss Israēls dzirdēja, ka Jārobāms ir atgriezies, tie sūtīja pēc viņa, aicināja uz sapulci un iecēla par ķēniņu visam Israēlam. Neviens nesekoja Dāvida namam, izņemot Jūdas cilti. 21 Un Rehabeāms nāca uz Jeruzālemi un sapulcināja visu Jūdas namu un Benjāmina cilti – simts astoņdesmit tūkstošus izlases karotāju, lai karotu ar Israēla namu un atgūtu valsti Sālamana dēlam Rehabeāmam.
22 Tad Dieva vārds nāca pār Dieva vīru Šemaju: 23 “Saki Sālamana dēlam Jūdas ķēniņam Rehabeāmam, visam Jūdas namam, Benjāminam un pārējai tautai: 24 tā saka Kungs: neejiet karot pret saviem brāļiem Israēla dēliem, atgriezieties savos namos, jo no manis tas nācis!” Un tie paklausīja Kunga vārdam un devās atpakaļ, lai notiktu, kā Kungs bija teicis.
Zelta teļi
25 Jārobāms Efraima kalnā uzcēla Šehemu un tur dzīvoja. Vēlāk viņš aizgāja no turienes un uzcēla Penuēlu. 26 Un Jārobāms sacīja savā sirdī: tagad valsts atkal piederēs Dāvida namam. 27 Ja šī tauta ies uz Jeruzālemi upurēt Kunga namā, tad viņu sirdis atgriezīsies pie sava kunga, Jūdas ķēniņa Rehabeāma. Tie nogalinās mani un atgriezīsies pie Jūdas ķēniņa Rehabeāma! 28 Apspriedies ķēniņš darināja divus zelta teļus un sacīja tautai: “Uz Jeruzālemi iet jums ir par tālu; redzi, Israēl, tavi dievi, kas tevi izveda no Ēģiptes zemes!” 29 Vienu viņš novietoja Bētelē, bet otru nolika Dānā. 30 Tas bija grēks! Tauta gāja līdz pat Dānai, lai stātos tā priekšā.
31 Viņš būvēja tempļus augstienēs un iecēla priesterus no visas tautas, tie nebija no Levī dēliem. 32 Astotā mēneša piecpadsmitajā dienā Jārobāms rīkoja tādus pašus svētkus kā Jūdā un pienesa upuri. To viņš darīja Bētelē – upurēja teļiem, kurus bija taisījis, un iecēla Bētelē priesterus altāriem, ko bija uzcēlis augstienēs. 33 Bētelē viņš bija uztaisījis altāri, uz kura upurēja astotā mēneša piecpadsmitajā dienā – mēnesī, kuru pats bija izraudzījies. Viņš rīkoja svētkus Israēla dēliem un upurēja altārī kvēpinādams.
