1 Kings 14

14 ¹ At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam fell sick. ² Jeroboam told his wife, "Get up, disguise yourself so no one knows you are Jeroboam's wife, and go to Shiloh. The prophet Ahijah is there, who told me I would be king over this people." ³ Take ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy."

⁴ Jeroboam's wife did so. She went to Shiloh, to Ahijah's house. Ahijah could no longer see; his eyes were dim with age.

⁵ But our Father had told Ahijah, "Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask about her sick son. Tell her this; when she arrives she'll be disguised as another woman."

⁶ When Ahijah heard her footsteps at the door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why pretend to be someone else? I'm sent to you with harsh news.

⁷ Go, tell Jeroboam, 'This is what our Father, the God of Israel, says: I lifted you from among the people and made you ruler over my people Israel.' ⁸ I tore the kingdom from David's house and gave it to you. Yet you were not like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me wholeheartedly, doing only what was right in my eyes. ⁹ You have done more evil than all before you. You went and made other gods and cast images, provoking me to anger, and threw me behind your back. ¹⁰ So I am bringing disaster on Jeroboam's house. I will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, slave and free, and burn up Jeroboam's house as one burns dung until it is gone. ¹¹ Those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city the dogs will eat, and those who die in the open country the birds of the sky will eat. For our Father has spoken.'

¹² Get up, go home. When your feet enter the city, the child will die. ¹³ All Israel will mourn and bury him. He alone of Jeroboam's house will reach a grave, because in him our Father, the God of Israel, found something good in Jeroboam's house. ¹⁴ Also, our Father will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day—even now. ¹⁵ Our Father will strike Israel until it sways like a reed in water, uproot them from this good land he gave their ancestors, and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they made Asherah poles that provoked his anger. ¹⁶ He will give Israel up because of the sins Jeroboam committed and made Israel commit.

¹⁷ Jeroboam's wife got up, left, and went to Tirzah. As she reached the house's threshold, the boy died. ¹⁸ All Israel buried and mourned him, just as our Father had said through his servant Ahijah the prophet.

¹⁹ The rest of Jeroboam's acts, how he waged war and reigned, are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ²⁰ Jeroboam reigned twenty-two years, then rested with his ancestors, and his son Nadab reigned in his place.

Rehoboam Reigns in Judah

²¹ Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one when he became king, and reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city our Father chose from all the tribes of Israel to put his name. His mother was Naamah, an Ammonite. ²² Judah did evil in our Father's sight, provoking him to jealousy by the sins they committed—more than all their ancestors had done. ²³ They too built themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. ²⁴ There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. The people did all the detestable things of the nations our Father drove out before Israel.

²⁵ In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt marched up against Jerusalem. ²⁶ He carried off the treasures of the house of our Father and of the royal palace—everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. ²⁷ So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and handed them to the guard commanders at the royal palace entrance. ²⁸ Whenever the king entered the house of our Father, the guards carried the shields, then returned them to the guardroom.

²⁹ The rest of Rehoboam's acts, and all he did—are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ³⁰ There was continual war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. ³¹ Rehoboam rested with his ancestors, buried with them in the City of David. His mother was Naamah, an Ammonite. His son Abijam reigned in his place.