列王紀上 第 12 章

And king Roboam goes to Sikima, for all Israel were coming to Sikima to make him king.

And the people spoke to king Roboam, saying:

Your father made our collar heavy; now therefore lighten the hard servitude of your father and his heavy collar which he laid upon us, and we will serve you.

And he said to them: Go away for three days, and then return to me. And they went away.

And the king consulted the elders who had stood before Solomon his father while he was still alive, saying: How do you advise, that I may return this people an answer?

And they spoke to him, saying: If today you will be a servant to this people and serve them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants all the days.

But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had been brought up with him, who stood before him.

And he said to them: What do you advise? And what shall I answer this people, who have spoken to me saying: Lighten the collar which your father laid upon us?

And the young men who had been brought up with him, who stood before him, spoke to him, saying: Thus you shall speak to this people who have spoken to you saying, Your father made our collar heavy, and now do you lighten it from us — thus you shall say to them: My smallness is thicker than my father's loins.

And now, my father loaded you with a heavy collar, and I will add to your collar. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.

And all Israel came to king Roboam on the third day, just as the king had spoken to them, saying: Come back to me on the third day.

And the king answered the people harshly, and Roboam forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him,

and he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying: My father made your collar heavy, and I will add to your collar; my father disciplined you with whips, and I will discipline you with scorpions.

And the king did not listen to the people, for the turn of events was from the Lord, that he might establish his word which he spoke by the hand of Achia the Selonite concerning Jeroboam son of Nabat.

And all Israel saw that their king did not listen to them, and the people answered the king, saying: What portion have we in David? And we have no inheritance in the son of Iessai. Off with you, Israel, to your tents! Now feed your own house, David! And Israel went away to its tents.

And the king sent Adoniram who was over the forced levy, and all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died; and king Roboam made haste to go up and flee to Jerusalem.

And Israel broke faith with the house of David to this day.

And it happened, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back from Egypt, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over Israel; and there was none following the house of David except the tribe of Judah and Benjamin alone.

And Roboam came to Jerusalem and assembled the congregation of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and twenty thousand young men who made war, to fight against the house of Israel and to bring the kingdom back to Roboam son of Salomon.

And the word of the Lord came to Samaias the man of God, saying:

Speak to Roboam son of Salomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying:

Thus says the Lord: You shall not go up nor fight with your brothers, the sons of Israel; let each return to his own house, for this thing has come from me. And they listened to the word of the Lord and ceased from going, according to the word of the Lord. And king Salomon sleeps with his fathers and is buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Roboam his son reigned in his place in Jerusalem, being sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned twelve years in Jerusalem. And his mother was named Naanan, daughter of Anan son of Naas king of the sons of Ammon. And he did what was evil before the Lord, and he did not walk in the way of David his father. And there was a man from the hill country of Ephraim, a servant of Salomon, and his name was Jeroboam, and his mother was named Sarira, a harlot woman. And Salomon appointed him ruler of the staff over the levies of the house of Joseph; and he built for Salomon Sarira which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and he had three hundred chariots of horses. This man built the citadel with the levies of the house of Ephraim; this man shut up the city of David, and he was lifting himself up toward the kingdom. And Salomon sought to put him to death, and he was afraid and ran away to Sousakim king of Egypt, and he was with him until Salomon died. And Jeroboam heard in Egypt that Salomon was dead, and he spoke in the ears of Sousakim king of Egypt.

And Jeroboam built Sikima in the hill country of Ephraim and dwelt in it; and he went out from there and built Phanouel.

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

If this people goes up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of the people will turn back to the Lord and to their lord, to Roboam king of Judah, and they will kill me.

And the king took counsel and went and made two golden heifers, and he said to the people: Enough for you of going up to Jerusalem! Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

And he set the one in Baithel, and the other he put in Dan.

And this thing became a sin, for the people went before the one as far as Dan.

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

And Jeroboam made a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in the land of Judah; and he went up on the altar which he made in Baithel, to sacrifice to the heifers which he had made; and he stationed in Baithel the priests of the high places which he had made.

And he went up on the altar which he made, on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, at the feast which he fabricated out of his own heart; and he made a feast for the sons of Israel, and he went up on the altar to offer sacrifice.