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1 Kings 12:1-24 — Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam

1Kgs.12.1-24

¹Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ²Now when Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it—he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt— ³they sent and called for him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴“Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you.” ⁵He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people departed. ⁶King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had stood before his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” ⁷They spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to this people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” ⁸But he abandoned the counsel of the elders that they had given him, and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. ⁹He said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke that your father put on us'?” ¹⁰The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you must make it lighter on us'; thus you shall speak to them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist! ¹¹Now my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'" ¹²So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had spoken, saying, “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³The king answered the people harshly, and he abandoned the counsel of the elders that they had given him. ¹⁴He spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” ¹⁵So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, that he might fulfill his word, which the LORD had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. ¹⁶When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse! To your tents, O Israel! Now look to your own house, O David!” So Israel went to their tents. ¹⁷But as for the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. ²⁰When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly, and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone. ²¹When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. ²²But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ²³"Speak to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, ²⁴'Thus says the LORD: You shall not go up and you shall not fight against your brothers, the people of Israel. Return every man to his house, for this thing is from me.'" So they listened to the word of the LORD, and turned back to go their way, according to the word of the LORD.

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4/11/2026

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