Kings III

24r And Roboam ‡‡‡rejected their counsel, and it pleased him not: and he sent and brought in those who had been brought up with him; and he said to them, Thus and thus has the people sent to me to say: and they that had been brought up with him said, Thus shalt thou speak to the people, saying, My §§§little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins; my father scourged you with whips, but I will rule you with scorpions.

24s And the saying pleased Roboam, and he answered the people as the young men, they that were brought up with him, counselled him:

24t and all the people spoke as one man, every one to his neighbour, and they cried out all together, saying, We have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jessæ: to thy tents, O Israel, every one; for this man is not for a prince or a ruler over us.

24u And all the people was dispersed from Sikima, and they departed every one to his tent: and Roboam strengthened himself and departed, and mounted his chariot, and entered into Jerusalem: and there follow him the whole tribe of Juda, and the whole tribe of Benjamin.

24x And it came to pass at the beginning of the year, that Roboam gathered all the men of Juda and Benjamin, and went up to fight with Jeroboam at Sikima.

24y And the word of the Lord came to Samæas the man of God, saying, Speak to Roboam king of Juda, and to all the house of Juda and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, neither shall ye fight with your brethren the sons of Israel: return every man to his house, for this thing is from me.

24z And they hearkened to the word of the Lord, and forbore to go up, according to the word of the Lord.

25 And Jeroboam built Sikima in mount Ephraim and dwelt in it, and went forth thence and built Phanuel.

26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Behold, now the kingdom will return to the house of David.

27 If this people shall go up to offer sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of the people will return to the Lord, and to their master, to Roboam king of Juda, and they will slay me.

28 And the king took counsel, and went, and made two golden heifers, and said to the people, Let it suffice you *to have gone hitherto to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

29 And he put one in Bethel, and he †put the other in Dan.

30 And this thing became a sin; and the people went before one as far as Dan, and left the house of the Lord.

31 And he made houses on the high places, and made priests of any part of the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, according to the feast in the land of Juda;

33 and went up to the altar which he made in Bæthel to sacrifice to the heifers which he made, and he placed in Bæthel the priests of the high places which he had made. And he went up to the altar which he had made, on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, at the feast which he devised out of his own heart; and he made a feast to the children of Israel, and went up to the altar to sacrifice.