1 Kings 14

Ahijah Prophesies against the King

1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise now, and 1disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to 2Shiloh; behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who 3spoke concerning me that I would be king over this people. 34Take ten loaves with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

4Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to 5Shiloh, and came to the house of 6Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, 7for his eyes were 8dim because of his age. 5Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to 9inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. You shall say thus and thus to her, for it will be when she arrives that 10she will pretend to be another woman.”

6When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam, why do you pretend to be another woman? For I am sent to you with a harsh message. 7Go, say to Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “11Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel, 8and 12tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you--13yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, 14to do only that which was right in My sight; 9you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and 15have gone and made for yourself other gods and 16molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have 17cast Me behind your back-- 10therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and 18will cut off from Jeroboam 19every male person, 20both bond and free in Israel, and I 21will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. 1122Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for the Lord has spoken it.”’ 12Now you, arise, go to your house. 23When your feet enter the city the child will die. 13All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for 24he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him 25something good was found toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. 14Moreover, 26the Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day 27and from now on.

15“For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and 28He will uproot Israel from 29this good land which He gave to their fathers, and 30will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, 31because they have made their 32Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger. 16He will give up Israel 33on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he 34committed and with which he made Israel to sin.”

17Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to 35Tirzah. 36As she was entering the threshold of the house, the child died. 1837All Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

19Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, 38how he made war and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20The time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

Rehoboam Misleads Judah

2139Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, 40the city which the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 2241Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they 42provoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with 43the sins which they 44committed. 23For they also built for themselves 45high places and sacred 46pillars and 4748Asherim on every high hill and 49beneath every luxuriant tree. 24There were also 50male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel.

2551Now it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and 52he took everything, 5354even taking all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27So King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and 55committed them to the 56care of the commanders of the 57guard who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. 28Then it happened as often as the king entered the house of the Lord, that the 58guards would carry them and would bring them back into the 59guards’ room.

2960Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 3061There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and 62his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son became king in his place.