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People that fpake unto thee, faying, Thy Father made our Yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus fhalt thou fay unto them, My Little Finger fhall be thicker than my Father's Loins.

11 And now whereas my Father did lade you with a heavy Yoke, I will add to your Yoke my Father hath chastised you with Whips, but I will chastise you with Scorpions.

12 So Jeroboam and all the People came to Rehoboam the third Day, as the King had appointed, faying, Come to me again the third Day.

13 And the King answered the People roughly, and for fook the old Mens Counsel that they gave him;

14 And fpake to them after the Counsel of the young Men, faying, My Father made your Yoke heavy, and I will add to your Yoke; my Father alfo chaftifed you with Whips, but I will chastise you with Scorpions.

15 Wherefore the King hearkned not unto the People; for the Caufe was from the LORD, that he might perform his Saying which the LORD fpake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the Son of Nebat.

16 So when all Ifrael faw that the King hearkned not unto them, the People answered the King, faying, What Portion have we in David? neither have we Inheritance in the Son of Jeffe: to your Tents, O Ifrael: now see to thiné own Houfe, David. So Ifrael departed unto their Tents.

17 But as for the Children of Ifrael which dwelt in the Cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

18 Then King Rehoboam fent Adoram who was over the Tribute; and all Ifrael ftoned him with Stones, that he died therefore King Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his Chariot, to flee to Jerufalem.

19 So Ifrael rebelled against the House of David unto this Day.

zo And it came to pafs when all Ifrael heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they fent and called him unto the Congregation, and made him King over all Ifrael: there was none that followed the House of David, but the Tribe of Judah only.

21 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerufalem, he affembled all the Houfe of Judah, with the Tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourfcore thousand chofen Men, which were Warriours to fight against the House of Israel,

to

to bring the Kingdom again to Rehoboam the Son of Solo

mon.

22 But the Word of GOD came unto Shemaiah the Man of GOD, faying,

23 Speak unto Rehoboam the Son of Solomon King of Judah, and unto all the Houfe of Judah and Benjamin, and to the Remnant of the People, faying,

24 Thus faith the LORD, Ye fhall not go up, nor fight against your Brethren, the Children of Ifrael: return every Man to his Houfe, for this Thing is from me. They hearkned therefore to the Word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the Word of the LORD.

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in Mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein, and went out from thence, and built Penuel.. 26 And Jeroboam faid in his Heart, Now fhall the Kingdom return to the House of David :

27 If this People go up to do facrifice in the House of the LORD at Jerufalem, then fhall the Heart of this People turn again unto their Lord, even unto Rehoboam King of Judah, and they fhall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam King of Judah.

28 Whereupon the King took Counfel, and made two Calves of Gold, and faid unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerufalem behold thy Gods, O Ifrael, which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt.

29 And he fet the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan.

30 And this Thing became a Sin: for the People went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

31 And he made an Houfe of high Places, and made Priefts of the loweft of the People, which were not of the Sons of Levi.

32 And Jeroboam ordained a Feaft in the eighth Month, on the fifteenth Day of the Month, like unto the Feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the Altar, (fo did he in Beth-el) facrificing unto the Calves that he had made and he placed in Beth-el the Priefts of the high Places which he had made.

33 So he offered upon the Altar which he had made in Beth-el, the fifteenth Day of the eighth Month, even in the Month which he had devised of his own Heart: and ordained a Feaft unto the Children of Ifrael, and he offered upon the Altar and burnt Incense.

II. CHRON.

II. CHRO N. CHA P. XII.

1 Rehoboam forfaking the LORD, is punished by Shishak: 5 He and the Princes repenting at the preaching of Shemaiah, are delivered from Deftruction, but not from Spoil. 13 The Reign and Death of Rehoboam.

Ver. 1

ND it came to pafs when Rehoboam had establifhed the Kingdom, and had ftrengthened himfelf, he forfook the Law of the LORD, and all Ifrael with

him.

I KINGS XIV.

22 And Judah did Evil in the fight of the LORD, and they provoked him to Jealoufy with their Sins which they had committed, above all that their Fathers had done.

24 And there were alfo Sodomites in the Land, and they did according to all the Abominations of the Nations which the LORD caft out before the Children of Ifrael,

2 CHRON. XII.

2 And it came to pafs, that in the fifth Year of King Rehoboam, Shishak King of Egypt came up against Jerufalem (because they had tranfgreffed against the LORD)

3 With twelve hundred Chariots, and threefcore thoufand Horfemen and the People were without Number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.

4 And he took the fenced Cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerufalem.

5 Then came Shemaiah the Prophet to Rehoboam, and to the Princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerufalem becaufe of Shifhak, and faid unto them, Thus faith the LORD, Ye have forfaken me, and therefore have I alfo left you in the Hand of Shishak.

6 Whereupon the Princes of Ifrael, and the King humbled themselves, and they faid, The LORD is righteous,

7 And when the LORD faw that they humbled themfelves, the Word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, faying, They have humbled themselves, therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them fome Deliverance, and my Wrath fhall not be poured out upon Jerufalem by the Hand of Shifhak,

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8 Nevertheless, they fhall be his Servants; that they may know my Service, and the Service of the Kingdoms of the Countries.

9 So Shifhak King of Egypt came up against Jerufalem, and took away the Treafures of the Houfe of the LORD, and the Treafures of the King's Houfe, he took all he carried away alfo the Shields of Gold which Solomon had made.

10 Inftead of which, King Rehoboam made Shields of Brafs, and committed them to the Hands of the chief of the Guard that kept the Entrance of the King's Houfe.

11 And when the King entred into the House of the LORD, the Guard came and fet them, and brought them again into the Guard-chamber.

12 And when he humbled himfelf, the Wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not deftroy him altogether and alfo in Judah Things went well.

13 So King Rehoboam ftrengthened himfelf in Jerufalem, and reigned for Rehoboam was one and forty Years old when he began to reign, and he reigned feventeen Years in Jerufalem, the City which the LORD had chofen out of all the Tribes of Ifrael, to put his Name there: and his Mother's Name was Naamah, an Ammonitefs.

14 And he did Evil, because he prepared not his Heart to feek the LORD.

15 Now the Acts of Rehoboam, first and laft, are they not written in the Book of Shemaiah the Prophet, and of Iddo the Seer, concerning Genealogies? And there were Wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

16 And Rehoboam flept with his Fathers, and was buried in the City of David; and Abijah his Son reigned in his ftcad.

1. KINGS. CHA P. XIII.

1 Jeroboam's Hand withereth, 6 and at the Prayer of the Prophet is reftored. 23 The difobedient Prophet flain by a Lion. 33 Jeroboam's Obftinacy.

Ver. 1

ND behold, there came a Man of GoD out of

and Jeroboam ftood by the Altar to burn Incenfe.

2 And he cried against the Altar in the Word of the LORD,

and

and faid, O Altar, Altar, thus faith the LORD, Behold, a Child fhall be born unto the House of DAVID, Jofiah by Name, and upon thee fhall he offer the Priefts of the Highplaces that burn Incenfe upon thee, and Mens Bones fhall be burnt upon thee.

3 And he gave a Sign the fame Day, faying, This is the Sign which the LORD hath fpoken; Behold, the Altar fhall be rent, and the Ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

4 And it came to pafs when King Jeroboam heard the SayIng of the Man of GoD, which had cried against the Altar in Beth-el, that he put forth his Hand from the Altar, faying, Lay hold on him. And his Hand which he put forth against him, dried up, fo that he could not pull it in again to him.

5 The Altar alfo was rent, and the Afhes poured out from the Altar, according to the Sign which the Man of GOD had given by the Word of the LORD.

6 And the King answered and faid unto the Man of GOD, Intreat now the Face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my Hand may be restored me again. And the Man of GOD befought the LORD, and the King's Hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.

7 And the King faid unto the Man of GOD, Come home with me, and refresh thyfelf, and I will give thee a Reward.

8 And the Man of Gob faid unto the King, If thou wilt give me half thine Houfe, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat Bread nor drink Water in this Place:

9 For fo was it charged me by the Word of the LORD, faying, Eat no Bread, nor drink Water, nor turn again by the fame Way that thou cameft.

10 So he went another Way, and returned not by the Way that he came to Beth-el.

Now there dwelt an old Prophet in Beth-el, and his Sons came and told him all the Works that the Man of GOD had done that Day in Beth-el: the Words which he had spoken unto the King, them they told alfo to their Father.

12 And their Father faid unto them, What Way went he? for his Sons had feen what Way the Man of GoD went, which came from Judah.

13 And he faid unto his Sons, Saddle me the Afs. So they faddled him the Afs, and he rode thereon,

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