1 Kings 13–15

1Behold, a man of God came out of Judah by Yahweh’s word to Bethel; and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.

2He cried against the altar by Yahweh’s word, and said, “Altar! Altar! Yahweh says: ‘Behold, a son will be born to David’s house, Josiah by name. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and they will burn men’s bones on you.’”

3He gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which Yahweh has spoken: Behold, the altar will be split apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.”

4When the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” His hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to himself.

5The altar was also split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by Yahweh’s word.

6The king answered the man of God, “Now intercede for the favor of Yahweh your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again.” The man of God interceded with Yahweh, and the king’s hand was restored to him again, and became as it was before.

7The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”

8The man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of your house, I would not go in with you, neither would I eat bread nor drink water in this place;

9for so was it commanded me by Yahweh’s word, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, drink no water, and don’t return by the way that you came.’”

10So he went another way, and didn’t return by the way that he came to Bethel.

11Now an old prophet lived in Bethel, and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.

12Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen which way the man of God went, who came from Judah.

13He said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it.

14He went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. He said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” He said, “I am.”

15Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”

16He said, “I may not return with you, nor go in with you. I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

17For it was said to me by Yahweh’s word, ‘You shall eat no bread or drink water there, and don’t turn again to go by the way that you came.’”

18He said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by Yahweh’s word, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” He lied to him.

19So he went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.

20As they sat at the table, Yahweh’s word came to the prophet who brought him back;

21and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Yahweh says, ‘Because you have been disobedient to Yahweh’s word, and have not kept the commandment which Yahweh your God commanded you,

22but came back, and have eaten bread and drank water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread, and drink no water,” your body will not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”

23After he had eaten bread and after he drank, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back.

24When he had gone, a lion met him by the way and killed him. His body was thrown on the path, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the body.

25Behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the path, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.

26When the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to Yahweh’s word. Therefore Yahweh has delivered him to the lion, which has mauled him and slain him, according to Yahweh’s word which he spoke to him.”

27He said to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me,” and they saddled it.

28He went and found his body thrown on the path, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body nor mauled the donkey.

29The prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. He came to the city of the old prophet to mourn, and to bury him.

30He laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”

31After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones.

32For the saying which he cried by Yahweh’s word against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely happen.”

33After this thing, Jeroboam didn’t turn from his evil way, but again made priests of the high places from among all the people. Whoever wanted to, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.

34This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off and to destroy it from off the surface of the earth.

1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick.

2Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please get up and disguise yourself, so that you won’t be recognized as Jeroboam’s wife. Go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said that I would be king over this people.

3Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will become of the child.”

4Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to Shiloh, and came to Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were set by reason of his age.

5Yahweh said to Ahijah, “Behold, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Tell her such and such; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.”

6So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, Jeroboam’s wife! Why do you pretend to be another? For I am sent to you with heavy news.

7Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you prince over my people Israel,

8and tore the kingdom away from David’s house, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in my eyes,

9but have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods, molten images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back,

10therefore, behold, I will bring evil on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam everyone who urinates on a wall, he who is shut up and he who is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweeps away dung until it is all gone.

11The dogs will eat he who belongs to Jeroboam who dies in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat he who dies in the field, for Yahweh has spoken it.”’

12Arise therefore, and go to your house. When your feet enter into the city, the child will die.

13All Israel will mourn for him and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam will come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.

14Moreover Yahweh will raise up a king for himself over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day! What? Even now.

15For Yahweh will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking Yahweh to anger.

16He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he has sinned, and with which he has made Israel to sin.”

17Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. As she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.

18All Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to Yahweh’s word, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

19The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

20The days which Jeroboam reigned were twenty two years; then he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

21Rehoboam 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, the city which Yahweh had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.

22Judah did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done.

23For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

24There were also sodomites in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which Yahweh drove out before the children of Israel.

25In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem;

26and he took away the treasures of Yahweh’s house and the treasures of the king’s house. He even took away all of it, including all the gold shields which Solomon had made.

27King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house.

28It was so, that as often as the king went into Yahweh’s house, the guard bore them, and brought them back into the guard room.

29Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

30There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

31Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in David’s city. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. Abijam his son reigned in his place.

1Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah.

2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.

3He walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as the heart of David his father.

4Nevertheless for David’s sake, Yahweh his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem;

5because David did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, and didn’t turn away from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

6Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

7The rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in David’s city; and Asa his son reigned in his place.

9In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah.

10He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.

11Asa did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, as David his father did.

12He put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

13He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah. Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron.

14But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect with Yahweh all his days.

15He brought into Yahweh’s house the things that his father had dedicated, and the things that he himself had dedicated: silver, gold, and utensils.

16There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

17Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that was left in the treasures of Yahweh’s house, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered it into the hand of his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben Hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived at Damascus, saying,

19“Let there be a treaty between me and you, like that between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.”

20Ben Hadad listened to King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.

21When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and lived in Tirzah.

22Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah. No one was exempted. They carried away the stones of Ramah, and its timber, with which Baasha had built; and King Asa used it to build Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

23Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.

24Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in his father David’s city; and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

25Nadab 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.

26He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin.

27Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha struck him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon.

28Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha killed him and reigned in his place.

29As soon as he was king, he struck all the house of Jeroboam. He didn’t leave to Jeroboam any who breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the saying of Yahweh, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite;

30for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and with which he made Israel to sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger.

31Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

32There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

33In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel in Tirzah for twenty-four years.

34He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin.