The First Book of the Kings

⭑ Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 14 -

At that time, Jeroboam’s son Abijah became very sick.

Jeroboam said to his wife, “Disguise yourself in order that no one will recognize that you are my wife. Then go to the city of Shiloh, where the prophet Ahijah lives. He is the one who predicted that I would become the king of Israel.

Take with you ten loaves of bread and some small flat cakes, and a jar of honey, and give them to him. Tell him about our son, and he will tell you what will happen to him.”

So his wife went to Shiloh, to Ahijah’s house. Ahijah was unable to see, because he was very old and had become blind.

But before she got there, Yahweh told Ahijah that Jeroboam’s wife was coming to inquire about their son, who was very sick. And Yahweh told Ahijah what he should tell her. When she came to him, she pretended to be another woman.

But when Ahijah heard her footsteps as she entered the doorway, he said to her, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why do you pretend that you are someone else? Yahweh has given me bad news to tell you.

Go and tell Jeroboam that this is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, says to you: ’I chose you from among the common people and enabled you to become the king of my Israelite people.

I took most of the kingdom of Israel away from David’s descendants and gave it to you. But you have not been like David, who served me very well. He obeyed all my commandments very sincerely, doing only things that I considered to be right.

But you have done more evil things than all those who ruled before you. You have rejected me, and you have caused me to become very angry by making metal images of other gods so that you and others could worship them.

So, I am going to cause terrible things to happen to your family. I will cause all your male descendants to die, young ones and old ones. I will completely get rid of your family just like a man completely burns dung to cook his food.

The corpses of any members of your family who die in cities will be eaten by dogs. And the corpses of any members of your family who die out in the open fields will be eaten by vultures. This will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said that it will happen.’

So go back home. And as soon as you enter the city, your son will die.

All the Israelite people will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one of Jeroboam’s family who will be buried properly, because he is the only one of Jeroboam’s family with whom Yahweh is at all pleased.

Furthermore, Yahweh will appoint for himself a king to rule over Israel who will get rid of Jeroboam’s descendants. And that will start to happen today!

Yahweh will punish the people of Israel. He will shake them like the wind shakes the reeds that grow in a stream. He will expel the Israelite people from this good land that he gave to our ancestors. He will scatter them into countries east of the Euphrates River, because they have caused him to become very angry by making poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah.

Yahweh will abandon the Israelite people because of the sins that Jeroboam committed, sins which induced the Israelite people to commit them.”

Jeroboam’s wife returned home to the city of Tirzah, the new capital of Israel. And just as she entered her house, her son died.

All the Israelite people mourned for him and buried him, which is what Yahweh had told his servant, the prophet Ahijah, would happen.

Nadab Succeeds Jeroboam

Everything else that Jeroboam did, and the record of wars that his army fought, and how he ruled, is written in the book of the events of the Kings of Israel.

Jeroboam ruled for twenty-two years. Then he died, and his son Nadab became king.

Rehoboam Reigns in Judah

(2 Chronicles 12:13–14)

Solomon’s son Rehoboam ruled Judah. He was forty-one years old when he started to rule, and he ruled for seventeen years. He ruled in Jerusalem, which is the city that Yahweh chose out of all the tribes of Israel to be the place where he should be worshiped. Rehoboam’s mother’s name was Naamah. She was from the Ammon people group.

The people of Judah did many things that Yahweh said were evil. They caused him to become angry because they committed more sins than their ancestors had committed. They worshiped many other gods instead of worshiping only Yahweh.

They built places to worship those gods. On high hills and under big trees they set up pillars and poles for worshiping Asherah.

Also, there were male prostitutes at these places of worship. The Israelite people did the same disgraceful things that had been done by the people whom Yahweh had expelled while the Israelites were advancing through the land.

Shishak Raids Jerusalem

(2 Chronicles 12:1–12)

When Rehoboam had been ruling for almost five years, King Shishak of Egypt came with his army to attack Jerusalem.

They took away all the valuable things in the temple and in the king’s palace, including the gold shields that Solomon’s workers had made.

King Rehoboam’s workers made bronze shields to replace them and put them into the hands of officers who guarded the entrance to the king’s palace.

Every time that the king went into the temple, those guards carried those shields, and when he left the temple they returned the shields to the storeroom.

Everything else that Rehoboam did is written in the book of the events of the Kings of Judah.

There were wars continually between the armies of Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

Then Rehoboam died, and he was buried in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David, where his ancestors were buried. Then his son Abijah became the king.

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick.

Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please get up and disguise yourself, so that you won’t be recognized as Jeroboam’s wife. Go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said that I would be king over this people.

Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will become of the child.”

Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to Shiloh, and came to Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were set by reason of his age.

The LORD said to Ahijah, “Behold, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Tell her such and such; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.”

So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, Jeroboam’s wife! Why do you pretend to be another? For I am sent to you with heavy news.

Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, says: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you prince over my people Israel,

and tore the kingdom away from David’s house, and gave it you; and yet you have not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in my eyes,

but have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods, molten images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back,

therefore, behold, I will bring evil on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam everyone who urinates on a wall,(a) he who is shut up and he who is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweeps away dung until it is all gone.

The dogs will eat he who belongs to Jeroboam who dies in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat he who dies in the field, for the LORD has spoken it.”’

Arise therefore, and go to your house. When your feet enter into the city, the child will die.

All Israel will mourn for him and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam will come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.

Moreover the LORD will raise up a king for himself over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day! What? Even now.

For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River,(b) because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger.

He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he has sinned, and with which he has made Israel to sin.”

Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. As she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.

All Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

Nadab Succeeds Jeroboam

The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

The days which Jeroboam reigned were twenty two years; then he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

Rehoboam Reigns in Judah

(2 Chronicles 12:13–14)

Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.

Judah did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done.

For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

There were also sodomites in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD drove out before the children of Israel.

Shishak Raids Jerusalem

(2 Chronicles 12:1–12)

In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem;

and he took away the treasures of the LORD’s house and the treasures of the king’s house. He even took away all of it, including all the gold shields which Solomon had made.

King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house.

It was so, that as often as the king went into the LORD’s house, the guard bore them, and brought them back into the guard room.

Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in David’s city. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. Abijam his son reigned in his place.

Footnotes

(a)14:10 or, male

(b)14:15 That is, the Euphrates.