Bible Reading for April 17

1 Kings Chapter 12

1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to
make him king.

2 And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in
Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon,
and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;)

3 That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation
of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,

4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the
grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us,
lighter, and we will serve thee.

5 And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to
me. And the people departed.

6 And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before
Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I
may answer this people?

7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this
people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good
words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.

8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him,
and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which
stood before him:

9 And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this
people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father
did put upon us lighter?

10 And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying,
Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy
father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt
thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's
loins.

11 And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add
to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will
chastise you with scorpions.

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the
king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.

13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's
counsel that they gave him;

14 And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My
father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also
chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

15 Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was
from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by
Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16 So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the
people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither
have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now
see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.

17 But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah,
Rehoboam reigned over them.

18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all
Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam
made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

20 And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come
again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him
king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David,
but the tribe of Judah only.

21 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house
of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand
chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel,
to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all
the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,

24 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your
brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this
thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and
returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and
went out from thence, and built Penuel.

26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the
house of David:

27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at
Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their
lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go
again to Rehoboam king of Judah.

28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and
said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy
gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

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

30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before
the one, even unto Dan.

31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest
of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth
day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered
upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he
had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which
he had made.

33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the
fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had
devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of
Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

1 Kings Chapter 13

1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the
LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O
altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto
the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the
priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones
shall be burnt upon thee.

3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the
LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that
are upon it shall be poured out.

4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of
God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his
hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put
forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.

5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar,
according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the
LORD.

6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the
face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored
me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was
restored him again, and became as it was before.

7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh
thyself, and I will give thee a reward.

8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine
house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink
water in this place:

9 For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no
bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.

10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to
Bethel.

11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told
him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the
words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their
father.

12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had
seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.

13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the
ass: and he rode thereon,

14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak:
and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah?
And he said, I am.

15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither
will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:

17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no
bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou
camest.

18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake
unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into
thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank
water.

20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the
LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:

21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus
saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD,
and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,

22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place,
of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water;
thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.