1 And Reḥaḇ‛am went to Sheḵem, for all Yisra’ĕl had gone to Sheḵem to set him up to reign.
2 And it came to be, when Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat heard this – he was still in Mitsrayim, for he had fled from the presence of Sovereign Shelomoh and had been dwelling in Mitsrayim –
3 that they sent and called him. And Yaroḇ‛am and all the assembly of Yisra’ĕl came and spoke to Reḥaḇ‛am, saying,
4 “Your father made our yoke hard, and now, lighten the hard service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, then we serve you.”
5 And he said to them, “Go away for three days, then come back to me.” And the people went.
6 Then Sovereign Reḥaḇ‛am consulted the elders who stood before his father Shelomoh while he still lived, and he said, “What do you advise me to answer these people?”
7 And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are a servant to these people today, and shall serve them, and shall answer them and speak good words to them, then they shall be your servants all the days.”
8 But he ignored the advice the elders gave him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.
9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”
10 And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Say this to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us.’ Say this to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!
11 ‘And now, my father laid a heavy yoke on you, but I add to your yoke; my father flogged you with whips, but I, I flog you with scourges!’ ”
12 So Yaroḇ‛am and all the people came to Reḥaḇ‛am the third day, as the sovereign had spoken, saying, “Come back to me the third day.”
13 But the sovereign answered the people harshly, and ignored the advice which the elders had given him,
14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I add to your yoke; my father flogged you with whips, but I, I flog you with scourges!”
15 So the sovereign did not listen to the people, for the turn of events was from יהוה, in order to establish His word, which יהוה had spoken by Aḥiyah the Shilonite to Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat.
16 And all Yisra’ĕl saw that the sovereign did not listen to them. Then the people answered the sovereign, saying, “What portion do we have in Dawiḏ? And there is no inheritance in the son of Yishai. To your mighty ones, O Yisra’ĕl! Now, see to your own house, O Dawiḏ!” So Yisra’ĕl went to their tents.
17 But as for the children of Yisra’ĕl who dwelt in the cities of Yehuḏah, Reḥaḇ‛am reigned over them.
18 And when Sovereign Reḥaḇ‛am sent Aḏoram, who was over the compulsory labour, all Yisra’ĕl stoned him with stones, and he died. And Sovereign Reḥaḇ‛am hastily mounted his chariot to flee to Yerushalayim.
19 Thus Yisra’ĕl revolted against the house of Dawiḏ to this day.
20 And it came to be when all Yisra’ĕl heard that Yaroḇ‛am had come back, they sent for him and called him to the congregation, and set him up to reign over all Yisra’ĕl. There was none who followed the house of Dawiḏ, except the tribe of Yehuḏah only.
21 And Reḥaḇ‛am came to Yerushalayim, and he assembled all the house of Yehuḏah with the tribe of Binyamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen brave men, to fight against the house of Yisra’ĕl, to bring back the reign to Reḥaḇ‛am son of Shelomoh.
22 But the word of Elohim came to Shemayah the man of Elohim, saying,
23 “Speak to Reḥaḇ‛am son of Shelomoh, sovereign of Yehuḏah, and to all the house of Yehuḏah and Binyamin, and to the rest of the people, saying,
24 ‘Thus said יהוה, “Do not go up or fight against your brothers the children of Yisra’ĕl. Let every man return to his house, for this matter is from Me.” ’ ” So they obeyed the word of יהוה, and turned back, according to the word of יהוה.
25 And Yaroḇ‛am built Sheḵem in the mountains of Ephrayim, and dwelt there. And he went out from there and built Penu’ĕl.
26 And Yaroḇ‛am said in his heart, “Now the reign shall return to the house of Dawiḏ.
27 “If these people go up to do slaughterings in the House of יהוה at Yerushalayim, then the heart of this people shall turn back to their master, Reḥaḇ‛am sovereign of Yehuḏah, and they shall slay me and go back to Reḥaḇ‛am sovereign of Yehuḏah.”
28 So the sovereign took counsel and made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Yerushalayim. See, your mighty ones, O Yisra’ĕl, which brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim!”
29 And he set up one in Bĕyth Ěl, and the other he put in Dan.
30 And this matter became a sin, for the people went before the one as far as Dan.
31 And he made the house of high places, and made priests from all sorts of people, who were not of the sons of Lĕwi.
32 And Yaroḇ‛am performed a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival that was in Yehuḏah, and he offered on the altar. So he did at Bĕyth Ěl, slaughtering to the calves that he had made. And at Bĕyth Ěl he appointed the priests of the high places which he had made.
33 And he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bĕyth Ěl on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he performed a festival for the children of Yisra’ĕl, and offered on the altar and burned incense.