The Kingdom Divided

1 Kings 12:16-33; 2 Kings 17:20-23

Bible Stories

1 Kings 12:16 And so the people, seeing that the king had not been willing to listen to them, responded to him, saying: “What part do we have in David? Or what inheritance do we have in the son of Jesse? Go to your own tents, O Israel. Now David, see to your own house.” And Israel went away to their own tents.

1 Kings 12:17 But over all the sons of Israel who were living in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned.

1 Kings 12:18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute. And all of Israel stoned him, and he died. Therefore, king Rehoboam hurrying, climbed into the chariot, and fled to Jerusalem.

1 Kings 12:19 And Israel drew away from the house of David, even to the present day.

1 Kings 12:20 And it happened that, when all of Israel had heard that Jeroboam had returned, gathering an assembly, they sent and called him, and they appointed him as king over all of Israel. And no one followed the house of David, except the tribe of Judah alone.

1 Kings 12:21 Then Rehoboam went to Jerusalem, and he gathered together the entire house of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand elect men of war, so that they might fight against the house of Israel, and might bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon.

1 Kings 12:22 But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying:

1 Kings 12:23 “Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah, and to Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying:

1 Kings 12:24 ‘Thus says the Lord: You shall not go up, and you shall not make war against your brothers, the sons of Israel. Let each man return to his own house. For this word came from me.’ ” And they listened to the word of the Lord, and they returned from the journey, as the Lord had instructed them.

1 Kings 12:25 Then Jeroboam built up Shechem, on mount Ephraim, and he lived there. And departing from there, he built up Penuel.

1 Kings 12:26 And Jeroboam said in his heart: “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David,

1 Kings 12:27 if this people ascend to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem. And the heart of this people will be converted to their lord Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and they will put me to death, and return to him.”

1 Kings 12:28 And devising a plan, he made two golden calves. And he said to them: “No longer choose to ascend to Jerusalem. Behold, these are your gods, O Israel, who led you away from the land of Egypt!”

1 Kings 12:29 And he stationed one in Bethel, and the other in Dan.

1 Kings 12:30 And this word became an occasion of sin. For the people went to adore the calf, even to Dan.

1 Kings 12:31 And he made shrines on the high places, and he made priests out of the lowest people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

1 Kings 12:32 And he appointed a solemn day in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, in imitation of the solemnity that was celebrated in Judah. And ascending to the altar, he acted similarly in Bethel, so that he immolated to the calves, which he had made. And in Bethel, he appointed priests of the high places, which he had made.

1 Kings 12:33 And he ascended to the altar, which he had raised up in Bethel, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the day that he had decided in his own heart. And he made a solemnity to the sons of Israel, and he ascended to the altar, so that he might burn incense.

1 Kings 17:20 And he cried out to the Lord, and he said, “O Lord, my God, have you even afflicted the widow by whom I am, in a sense, sustained, so that you would put to death her son?”

1 Kings 17:21 And he stretched himself out beside the boy three times. And he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord, my God, let the soul of this boy, I beg you, return to his body.”

1 Kings 17:22 And the Lord heeded the voice of Elijah. And the soul of the boy returned to him, and he revived.

1 Kings 17:23 And Elijah took the boy, and he brought him down from the upper room to the lower part of the house. And he gave him to his mother. And he said to her, “See, your son lives.”