1Rehoboam went to Shechem, because all of Israel had gathered in Shechem to make him king.
2Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about it (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon, and Jeroboam had been living in Egypt.
3They sent for him and called him). Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
4"Your father made us work too hard. Now lighten the demanding work your father imposed on us and the heavy burden he placed on us, and we will serve you."
5He told them, "Go away for three days, then come back to me." So the people left.
6King Rehoboam discussed the matter with the old men who had served his father Solomon while he was alive. He asked, "What advice do you have for me to give these people?"
7They replied, "If you serve these people today, and are kind to them, and answer them with good words, they will be your loyal servants forever."
8But Rehoboam ignored the advice the old men gave him. Instead, he asked the young men who had grown up with him and were now serving him for their advice.
9He asked them, "What advice do you suggest we give these people who said to me, 'Make the heavy burden your father put on us lighter?'"
10The young men who had grown up with him said to him, "Tell these people who complained to you, 'Your father made our burden heavy, but you should make it lighter for us,' tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.'
11They continued, 'My father put a heavy burden on you, but I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.'"
12So Jeroboam and all the people came back to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had asked when he said, "Come back to me again in three days."
13The king answered the people harshly, ignoring the old men's advice.
14He spoke to them using the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your burden heavy, but I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions."
15So the king refused to listen to the people. This turn of events was from Yahweh, so that he could fulfill his promise that Yahweh had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
16When all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, they answered the king, saying, "What share do we have in David? We don't have an inheritance through Jesse's son. To your tents, Israel! David, look after your own house now." So Israel went home to their tents.
17However, Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.
18Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam quickly got into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem.
19So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this very day.
20When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent for him and called him to the assembly, and made him king over all Israel. No one remained loyal to the house of David except for the tribe of Judah alone.
21When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—one hundred eighty thousand skilled warriors—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22But the word of God came to Shemaiah, a man of God, saying,
23“Speak to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying,
24‘Yahweh says: “You must not go up and fight against your relatives, the Israelites. Everyone go home, because this situation is from me.”’” So they obeyed Yahweh’s command and went home, as Yahweh had instructed.
25Then Jeroboam built up Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built Penuel.
26Jeroboam thought to himself, "Now the kingdom will return to David's family.
27If these people go up to offer sacrifices in Yahweh's temple in Jerusalem, their loyalty will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. Then they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."
28So the king sought advice and made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It's too much trouble for you to go all the way to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!"
29He placed one at Bethel and the other at Dan.
30This action became a sin, because the people traveled even as far as Dan to worship before the golden calf there.
31Jeroboam built temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, even though they were not from the tribe of Levi.
32On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, Jeroboam established a festival similar to the one celebrated in Judah. He went up to the altar he had built in Bethel to offer sacrifices to the calves he had made, and he placed there the priests for the high places that he had appointed.
33He went up to the altar he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month he had decided on himself. He started a festival for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.