1 Kings 12:16-29

16All the Israelites realized that the king refused to listen to them. So they said to the king, ‘We can no longer serve the family of Jesse's son, David! Israelites, go back to your homes! You descendant of David, take care of your own family!’ So the Israelites went to their homes.

17But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.

18King Rehoboam sent a man called Adoniram to talk to the Israelite people. Adoniram had authority over the men who had to work for Rehoboam. But the Israelites threw stones at Adoniram and they killed him. So King Rehoboam quickly got into his chariot and he escaped to Jerusalem.

19Since that time, the tribes in the north of Israel have not accepted the authority of King David's descendants.

20All the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned from Egypt. So they asked him to come to a meeting of the people. They decided to make him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah still served David's descendant as their king.

21Rehoboam arrived back in Jerusalem. He brought together all the men from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin who knew how to fight. There were 180,000 of them. Solomon's son Rehoboam wanted to attack the Israelite tribes so that he could rule them again as king.

22But God told the prophet Shemaiah,

23‘Say this to Solomon's son Rehoboam, the king of Judah. Say it to all the people of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the other people.

24This is what the Lord says: “Do not attack your brothers, the Israelites. Do not fight against them. Instead, you must all go home. I, the Lord, have decided that this must happen.” ’ So they obeyed the Lord's message. They went back to their homes, as the Lord had commanded them to do.

25Jeroboam made Shechem into a strong city. He lived there, in the hill country of Ephraim. He also went to make Penuel a strong city.

26Jeroboam thought, ‘I do not want the people of my kingdom to accept David's descendants as king again.

27The people that I rule will go to the Lord's temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices there. Then they may decide to serve Rehoboam, king of Judah, who was their master before. They might kill me and then go back to serve King Rehoboam.’

28So King Jeroboam talked to his advisors. He used gold to make images of two young cows. He said to the people, ‘It is too difficult for you to go to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, as you have done before. So I have made these gold cows for you instead. Look at them, Israelite people! These are your gods that rescued you and brought you out from Egypt.’

29Jeroboam put one gold cow in Bethel. He put the other gold cow in Dan.