20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but ^vthe tribe of Judah only.

21 ^wWhen Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to ^xShemaiah the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the ^yrest of the people, 24 ‘Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, ^zfor this thing is from me.’” So they listened to the word of the Lord and went home again, according to the word of the Lord.

Jeroboam’s Golden Calves

25 Then Jeroboam ^abuilt Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and ^bbuilt Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people ^cgo up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and ^dmade two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. ^eBehold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then ^fthis thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.¹ 31 He also made ^gtemples on high places and ^happointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like ⁱthe feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel ^jthe priests of the high places that he had made. 33 He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar ^kto make offerings.

A Man of God Confronts Jeroboam

1 And behold, ^la man of God came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar ^mto make offerings. 2 ⁿAnd the man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, ^oJosiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” 3 And he gave ^pa sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.’” 4 And when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” And his hand, which he stretched out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. 5 The altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.

33 After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places. 34 ^eAnd this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, ^fso as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.

Prophecy Against Jeroboam

1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to ^gShiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, ^hwho said of me that I should be king over this people. 3 ⁱTake with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”

4 Jeroboam’s wife did so. She arose and went to ^gShiloh and came to the house of ^jAhijah. Now ^jAhijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. 5 And the Lord said to ^jAhijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.”

When she came, she pretended to be another woman. 6 But when ^jAhijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ^k“Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel 8 and ^ltore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been ^mlike my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, 9 but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and ⁿmade for yourself other gods and ^ometal images, provoking me to anger, and ^phave cast me behind your back, 10 therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and ^qwill cut off from Jeroboam every male, ^rboth bond and free in Israel, and ^swill burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone. 11 ^tAnyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat, for the Lord has spoken it.”’ 12 Arise therefore, go to your house. ^uWhen your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him ^vthere is found something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. 14 ^wMoreover, the Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. And henceforth, 15 the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and ^xroot up Israel out of ^ythis good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them ^zbeyond the Euphrates,¹ because they have made their ^aAsherim, provoking the Lord to anger. 16 And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.”

17 Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to ^bTirzah. And ^cas she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, ^daccording to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

The Death of Jeroboam

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

Rehoboam Reigns in Judah

21 ^fNow 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, ^gthe city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. ^hHis mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. 22 ⁱAnd Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they ^jprovoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves ^khigh places ^land pillars and ^mAsherim on every high hill and ⁿunder every green tree, 24 and there were also ^omale cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.

25 ^pIn the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house. ^qHe took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold ^rthat Solomon had made, 27 and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. 28 And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.

29 ^sNow 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? 30 ^tAnd there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. ^uHis mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And ^vAbijam his son reigned in his place.

Abijam Reigns in Judah

1 ^wNow in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3 And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and ^xhis heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. 4 Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him ^ya lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5 because ^zDavid did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, ^aexcept in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6 ^bNow there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7 ^cThe rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ^dAnd there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8 ^eAnd Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.

Asa Reigns in Judah

9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 ^fAnd Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. 12 He put away the ^gmale cult prostitutes out of the land and removed ^hall the idols that his fathers had made. 13 ⁱHe also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and ^jburned it at the brook Kidron. 14 ^kBut the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, ^lthe heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. 15 And ^mhe brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.

16 ⁿAnd there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 ^oBaasha king of Israel went up against Judah and ^pbuilt Ramah, ^qthat he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold ^rthat were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house and gave them into the hands of his servants. ^sAnd King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ^twho lived in Damascus, saying, 19 “Let there be ^ua covenant² between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 20 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered ^vIjon, ^wDan, ^xAbel-beth-maacah, and all ^yChinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 And when Baasha heard of it, ^zhe stopped building Ramah, and he lived in ^aTirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built ^bGeba of Benjamin and ^cMizpah. 23 ^dNow the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and ^eJehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

Nadab Reigns in Israel

25 ^fNadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ^gand walked in the way of his father, and in his sin ^hwhich he made Israel to sin.

27 ⁱBaasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at ^jGibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. 28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. 29 And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, ^kaccording to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30 It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and ^hthat he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.

31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 32 ^lAnd there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

Baasha Reigns in Israel

33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ^mand walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.

1 And the word of the Lord came to ⁿJehu the son of ^oHanani against Baasha, saying, 2 “Since I ^pexalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and ^qyou have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, 3 behold, I will utterly ^rsweep away ^sBaasha and his house, and I will make your house ^tlike the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 ^uAnyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall eat.”

5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 6 And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried at ^vTirzah, and Elah his son reigned in his place. 7 Moreover, the word of the Lord came by the prophet ⁿJehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and also because ^whe destroyed it.

Elah Reigns in Israel

8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years. 9 But his servant ^xZimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, ^ywho was over the household in Tirzah, 10 Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

11 When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down ^zall the house of Baasha. He ^adid not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. 12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, ^baccording to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Baasha by ⁿJehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, ^cprovoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols. 14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Zimri Reigns in Israel

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against ^dGibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, 16 and the troops who were encamped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired, and he has killed the king.” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 So Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 And when Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire and died, 19 because of his sins that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, ^ewalking in the way of Jeroboam, and for his sin which he committed, making Israel to sin. 20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the conspiracy that he made, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Omri Reigns in Israel

21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri overcame the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king. 23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for twelve years; six years he reigned in Tirzah. 24 He bought the hill of ^fSamaria from Shemer for two talents³ of silver, and he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built ^gSamaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

25 ^hOmri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil ⁱthan all who were before him. 26 For ^ehe walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, ^jprovoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols. 27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri that he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 28 And Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son reigned in his place.

Encouragement to Give Generously

1 We want you to know, brothers,¹ about the grace of God that has been ^hgiven among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and ⁱtheir extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave ^jaccording to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly ^kfor the favor² of taking part in ^lthe relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they ^mgave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, ⁿwe urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you ^othis act of grace. 7 But as ^pyou excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you³—^qsee that you excel in this act of grace also.