1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. Jeroboam was living in Egypt. 3 They sent for him, and Jeroboam came with the whole assembly of Israel. They said to Rehoboam, 4 “Your father made our yoke oppressive. Now ease the harsh service and lighten the heavy yoke your father imposed on us, and we will serve you.” 5 He told them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away. 6 King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was alive. He asked, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 7 They said to him, “If today you will be a servant to these people, serve them, answer them, and speak kindly to them, they will be your servants always.” 8 But he rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him. 9 He asked them, “What do you advise? How should we answer these people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father imposed on us’?” 10 The young men who had grown up with him said, “Tell these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy; now lighten it for us,’ this: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! 11 My father loaded you with a heavy yoke; I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips; I will discipline you with scorpions.’ ” 12 Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had said, “Return to me on the third day.” 13 The king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice the elders had given him 14 and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice: “My father made your yoke heavy; I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips; I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word the LORD had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah of Shiloh. 16 When all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What share do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse! To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house now, David!” So Israel went to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.

18 King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who supervised the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam hurried to get into his chariot and flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent for him to come to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone. 21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred eighty thousand chosen warriors, to fight the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.

22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people, 24 ‘This is what the LORD says: You must not go up and fight your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this has come from me.’ ” They listened to the word of the LORD and returned home, according to the word of the LORD.

25 Jeroboam rebuilt Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and rebuilt Penuel. 26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, their hearts will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from Egypt!” 29 He placed one in Bethel and the other in Dan. 30 This became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to appear before one of them. 31 He made a shrine for the high places and appointed priests from among the people who were not descendants of Levi. 32 Jeroboam instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival in Judah, and went up to the altar. He did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. He stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places he had made. 33 He went up to the altar he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month he had devised in his own heart. He instituted a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to burn incense.