12. Jeroboam and all of the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken: “Return to me on the third day.”
13. Then the king answered all the people harshly, as he had rejected the advice of the old men that they had offered.
14. He spoke to them according to the advice of the youngsters, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add onto your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”
15. So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turning of events from Yahweh in order to fulfill his word which Yahweh had spoken through the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16. When all of Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What share do we have in David? There is no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now look to your house, David!” Then Israel went to their tents.
17. The Israelites were living in the cities of Judah, and Rehoboam was reigning over them.
18. King Rehoboam sent Adoram who was over the forced labor, and all of Israel cast stones at him and he died, but King Rehoboam managed to get up on the chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
19. So Israel rebelled against the house of David until this day.
20. It happened that just when all of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all of Israel. Not one followed after the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone.
21. When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all of the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand choice troops to fight with the house of Israel, to restore the kingship to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
22. Then the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
23. “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon the king of Judah and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and the remainder of the people, saying,
24. ‘Thus says Yahweh: “You shall not go up and you shall not fight with your brothers the Israelites. Return each of you to his house, for this thing was from me.” ’ ” So they heeded the word of Yahweh, and they returned to go home according to the word of Yahweh.
25. Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and he resided in it. Then he went out from there and built Penuel.
26. Then Jeroboam said to himself, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David
27. if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem. The heart of this people will return to their master Rehoboam the king of Judah, and they shall kill me and return to him.”
28. And the king had decided, so he made two golden calves and he said to them, “You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough; here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
29. He put one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.
30. This thing became a sin, and the people walked before the one as far as Dan.