1 Kings 12

12 ¹Rehoboam go Shechem, bicos all Israel don come Shechem to make am king. ²Wen Jeroboam pikin of Nebat hear am—e still dey for Egypt, wia e run go from King Solomon, and e stay dia. ³Dem send call am. Jeroboam and all di assembly of Israel come and tell Rehoboam sey: ⁴"Your papa make our yoke hard. Now abeg light di hard work and heavy yoke wey your papa put for our neck, and we go serve you."

⁵E tell dem, "Comot go for three days, den come back to me." So di people comot.

⁶King Rehoboam ask di elders wey serve im papa Solomon wen e dey alive. "How una advise me make I answer dis people?" na so e ask.

⁷Dem answer sey, "If today you serve dis people, answer dem wit sweet mind, dem go be your servant forever."

⁸But e reject di advice of di elders, and e go ask di young men wey grow up wit am and dey serve am. ⁹E ask dem, "Wetin be una advice? How we go answer dis people wey tell me sey, ‘Light di yoke wey your papa put for us’?"

¹⁰Di young men wey grow up wit am answer sey, "Tell dis people wey tell you sey, ‘Your papa make our yoke heavy, but you light am’—tell dem dis: ‘My small finger thick pass my papa waist.’ ¹¹My papa put heavy yoke for una neck; I go make am heavier. My papa flog una wit whip; I go flog una wit scorpion."

¹²After three days Jeroboam and all di people come back to Rehoboam, as di king don talk sey, "Come back to me for three days." ¹³Di king answer di people wit hard mout. E reject di advice wey di elders give am, ¹⁴and e talk to dem as di young men advise am: "My papa make una yoke heavy; I go make am heavier. My papa flog una wit whip; I go flog una wit scorpion."

¹⁵So di king no gree hear di people, bicos dis turn of tins come from our Papa, to make di word wey our Papa talk through Ahijah di Shilonite to Jeroboam pikin of Nebat happen.

¹⁶Wen all Israel see sey di king no gree hear dem, dem answer am sey: "Wetin be our share for David? We no get inheritance for Jesse im pikin! Israel, go your tent! Now David, mind your own house!" So Israel go home to dem tent.

¹⁷But Rehoboam still rule ova di Israelites wey dey live for di towns of Judah. ¹⁸King Rehoboam send Adoram, wey dey ova di forced labour, but all Israel stone am until e die. King Rehoboam quick enter im chariot and run go Jerusalem. ¹⁹So Israel don dey rebel against di house of David reach today.

²⁰Wen all Israel hear sey Jeroboam don come back, dem call am to di assembly and make am king ova all Israel. Na only di tribe of Judah follow di house of David.

²¹Wen Rehoboam reach Jerusalem, e gada all di house of Judah and di tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen fighter—to fight against di house of Israel and bring di kingdom back to Rehoboam pikin of Solomon.

²²But di word of our Papa come to Shemaiah, di man of our Papa:

²³"Tell Rehoboam pikin of Solomon, king of Judah, all di house of Judah and Benjamin, and di rest of di people:

²⁴"Na dis our Papa talk: No go up go fight against una brothers, di Israelites. Make each of una go home, bicos na from me dis tin come." So dem obey im word and turn go back home, as e talk.

Jeroboam Build Idol for Bethel and Dan

²⁵Jeroboam build Shechem for di hill country of Ephraim and live dia. From dia e comot go build Penuel. ²⁶Jeroboam tink for im mind sey, "Now di kingdom fit go back to di house of David. ²⁷If dis people go up go offer sacrifice for di house of our Papa for Jerusalem, dem heart go turn back to dem oga, Rehoboam king of Judah. Dem go kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah." ²⁸After e seek advice, di king make two gold calf. E tell di people, "To dey go up Jerusalem too much for una. Israel, see una gods, wey bring una comot from di land of Egypt." ²⁹E put one for Bethel, and di oda one for Dan. ³⁰Dis tin become sin, bicos di people dey go worship for front of di one reach as far as Dan. ³¹Jeroboam build shrine for di high places and make priest from all kind of people, wey no be Levites. ³²Jeroboam set up one festival for di fifteenth day of di eighth month, like di festival of Judah, and e offer sacrifice for di altar. Na so e do for Bethel, dey offer sacrifice to di calf wey e make, and dia e put priest for di high places wey e make. ³³For di fifteenth day of di eighth month—month wey e imagine by imsef—e go up to di altar wey e build for Bethel, and e set up one festival for di Israelites and go up to di altar go burn incense.