Some of the People Rebel against Rehoboam
(2 Chronicles 10.1-19)1 Rehoboam went to Shechem where everyone was waiting to crown him king.
2 Jeroboam son of Nebat heard what was happening, and he stayed in Egypt, where he had gone to hide from Solomon. 3 But the people from the northern tribes of Israel sent for him. Then together they went to Rehoboam and said, 4 “Your father Solomon forced us to work very hard. But if you make our work easier, we will serve you and do whatever you ask.”
5 “Give me three days to think about it,” Rehoboam replied, “then come back for my answer.” So the people left.
6 Rehoboam went to some leaders who had been his father's senior officials, and he asked them, “What should I tell these people?”
7 They answered, “If you want them to serve and obey you, then you should do what they ask today. Tell them you will make their work easier.”
8 But Rehoboam refused their advice and went to the younger men who had grown up with him and were now his officials. 9 He asked, “What do you think I should say to these people who asked me to make their work easier?”
10 His younger advisors said:
Here's what we think you should say to them: “Compared to me, my father was weak. 11 He made you work hard, but I'll make you work even harder. He punished you with whips, but I'll use whips with pieces of sharp metal!”
12 Three days later, Jeroboam and the others came back. 13 Rehoboam ignored the advice of the older advisors. 14 He spoke bluntly and told them exactly what his own advisors had suggested: “My father made you work hard, but I'll make you work even harder. He punished you with whips, but I'll use whips with pieces of sharp metal!”
15-19 When the people realized that Rehoboam would not listen to them, they shouted: “We don't have to be loyal to David's family. We can do what we want. Come on, people of Israel, let's go home! Rehoboam can rule his own people.”
Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor, and Rehoboam sent him to talk to the people. But they stoned him to death. Then Rehoboam ran to his chariot and hurried back to Jerusalem.
So the people from the northern tribes of Israel went home, leaving Rehoboam to rule only the people from the towns in Judah. Ever since that day, the people of Israel have opposed David's family in Judah. All of this happened just as the Lord's prophet Ahijah had told Jeroboam.
20 When the Israelites heard that Jeroboam was back, they called everyone together. Then they sent for Jeroboam and made him king of Israel. Only the people from the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David's family.
Shemaiah Warns Rehoboam
(2 Chronicles 11.1-4)21 After Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem, he decided to attack Israel and take control of the whole country. So he called together 180,000 soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
22 Meanwhile, God told Shemaiah the prophet 23 to give Rehoboam and everyone from Judah and Benjamin this warning: 24 “Don't go to war against the people from Israel—they are your relatives. Go home! I am the Lord, and I made these things happen.”
Rehoboam and his army obeyed the Lord and went home.
Jeroboam Makes Religious Changes
25 Jeroboam rebuilt Shechem in Ephraim and made it a stronger town, then he moved there. He also fortified the town of Penuel.
26-27 One day, Jeroboam started thinking, “Everyone in Israel still goes to the temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord. What if they become loyal to David's family again? They will kill me and accept Rehoboam as their king.”
28 Jeroboam asked for advice and then made two gold statues of calves. He showed them to the people and said, “Listen everyone! You won't have to go to Jerusalem to worship anymore. Here are your gods who rescued you from Egypt.” 29 Then he put one of the gold calves in the town of Bethel and the other in the town of Dan. 30 The people sinned because they started going to these places to worship.
31 Jeroboam built small places of worship at the shrines and appointed men who were not from the tribe of Levi to serve as priests. 32-33 He also decided to start a new festival for the Israelites on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the one in Judah. On that day, Jeroboam went to Bethel and offered sacrifices on the altar to the gold calf he had put there. Then he assigned the priests their duties.
Omazimo omulongo moshipotha
(2 Ondjal. 10:1-19)1 Rehoboam okwa yi kuShekem, nkoka Aaisraeli ayehe yokuumbangalantu ya gongala, ye mu kwaniileke. 2 Jeroboam yaNebat, ngoka a li a ya ontuku omukwaniilwa Salomo kuEgipiti, sho e shi kundana, okwa galuka a zi kuEgipiti. 3 Aantu yomazimo gokuumbangalantu oye mu tumu a ze ko, noyo ayehe oya yi kuRehoboam e taa ti kuye: 4 “Ho Salomo okwe tu tsike omitenge omidhigu. Ngele oto pupaleke omitenge ndhika e to tu vululukitha, otatu ningi aapiya yoye.”
5 Rehoboam okwa yamukula a ti: “Galukeni, nge pwa piti omasiku gatatu, otandi ke mu yamukula.” Oyo noya yi.
6 Omukwaniilwa Rehoboam okwa pula omayele kaasamane aakulupe mboka ya li haa pe he Salomo omayele. Okwe ya pula a ti: “Otamu pe ndje eyamukulo lya tya ngiini, ndi yamukule aantu mbaka?”
7 Aasamane oya yamukula ya ti: “Ngele owa hala, u ninge aantu mbaka nawa, gandja eyamukulo li na olukeno mushoka taa pula, oyo notaa ke ku longela aluhe nuudhiginini.”
8 Rehoboam okwa dhini omayele gaasamane aakulupe nokwa yi kaagundjuka yepipi lye mboka ya li ya putukila pamwe naye noya li aagandjindunge ye. 9 Okwe ya pula a ti: “Otandi ka tya ngiini kaantu mbo ya pula ndje, ndi ya pupalekele omitenge dhawo?”
10 Oyo ya yamukula ya ti: “Ya lombwela to ti: ‘Okanwegona kandje okanene ke vule oombwetelo dhatate!’ 11 Ya lombwela to ti: ‘Tate okwe mu tsike omitenge omidhigu; ngame otandi ke dhi dhigupaleka noonkondo. Okwe mu dhenge nongola; ngame otandi ke mu kwinunitha ekoosa!’ ”
12 Omasiku gatatu sho ga piti po, Jeroboam naantu ayehe oya galukile komukwaniilwa Rehoboam, ngaashi e ya tseyithilile. 13 Omukwaniilwa okwa dhini omayele gaasamane aakulupe e ta vavele aantu, 14 ngaashi a taamba omayele gaagundjuka. Okwa ti: “Tate okwe mu tsike omitenge omidhigu; ngame otandi ka gwedha ko, dhi dhigupale. Okwe mu dhenge nongola; ngame otandi ke mu kwinunitha ekoosa!” 15 Shika osha li ehalo lyOmuwa, a gwanithe shoka a popile kuJeroboam yaNebat momuhunganeki Ahija gwokuShilo. Omolwashoka omukwaniilwa ina pupa ko nando kaantu, e ya pulakene.
16 Aantu sho ya mono kutya nani omukwaniilwa ite ya pulakene, oyi igidha ya ti: “Otu na shike naDavid negumbo lye nuuthiga womuna gwaIsai? Oye tu ningile shike? Aaisraeli ne, tu yeni komagumbo. Rehoboam na tale sho ta ningi!”
Osho ngaaka Aaisraeli ya pindjala 17 noya thigi po Rehoboam, a kale ashike omukwaniilwa gwaantu mboka ye li moshikandjo shaJuda.
18 Nena omukwaniilwa Rehoboam okwa tumu Adoniram, ngoka a li omuwiliki gwiilonga ya thiminikwa, a ye kAaisraeli, ihe oye mu dhipaga nomamanya. Opo mpoka Rehoboam okwa nukile metembakwiita lye e ta yi ontuku kuJerusalem. 19 Okuza mpoka aantu yokuumbangalantu waIsrael oyi iteka ezimo lyaDavid.
20 Aaisraeli sho ya kundana kutya Jeroboam a galuka ko kuEgipiti, oye mu hiyile koshigongi shAaisraeli e taye mu kwaniileke omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael. Ezimo lyaJuda olyo alike lya kala poluvalo lwaDavid.
Ehunganeko lyaShemaja
(2 Ondjal. 11:1-4)21 Rehoboam sho a thiki muJerusalem, okwa hiya aakwiita ya pyokoka 180 000 yomezimo lyaJuda nolyaBenjamin. Okwa dhiladhila, a ye miita, a galule omazimo gAaisraeli gokuumbangalantu, e ga pangele natango. 22 Ihe Kalunga okwa lombwele omuhunganeki Shemaja, 23 a fale elaka ndika kuRehoboam nokaantu ayehe yomazimo gaJuda nogaBenjamin 24 tali ti: “Inamu matukila aamwanyoko Aisraeli. Shuneni komagumbo, ne amuhe. Shika sha ningwa, ongame nde shi hala.” Ayehe oya vulika keutho lyOmuwa e taa shuna kaandjawo.
Jeroboam ta pilamene Kalunga
25 Omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael Jeroboam okwa ningi Shekem shomevi lyokoondundu dhaEfraim oshilandohote e ta kala mo okathimbo. Nena okwa zi mo e ta ka ninga Penuel oshilandohote. 26 Okwi ipopile a ti: “Iinima ngele tayi ka piluka, nena uukwaniilwa otau ka shuna kegumbo lyaDavid. 27 Ngele aantu yandje otaa yi kuJerusalem e taa ka yambela Omuwa oontselelandjambo motempeli, otaa ka tula einekelo lyawo momukwaniilwa gwaJuda Rehoboam e taa dhipaga ndje.”
28 Sho e shi kutha mo nawa momadhiladhilo ge, okwa hambulitha oontsezi mbali dhoshingoli e ta ti kaantu ye: “Sha gwana nduno okuya kuJerusalem. Aantu yaIsrael, ookalunga yeni oyo mbaka ye mu tembudha muEgipiti.”
29 Okwa tula ontsezi yimwe yoshingoli muBetel nonkwawo muDan. 30 Nosho ngaaka aantu ya yono, sho ye ke dhi galikana muBetel nomuDan. 31 Jeroboam okwa tungu wo omahala gomagalikano koondungu dhoondundu e ta hogolola aayambi momazimo ngoka gaa shi gaLevi.
Esimaneko lyopuBetel tali pangulwa
32 Jeroboam okwa toto po oshituthi hashi dhanwa mesiku etimulongo netitano momwedhi omutihetatu, sha fa shAajuda. Koshiyambelo shomuBetel okwa yambele ko omafikilondjambo koontsezi dhoshingoli ndhoka a hambulitha, nomuBetel okwa langeke mo aayambi ya yakule pomahala ngoka e ga tungu. 33 Mesiku etimulongo netitano lyomwedhi omutihetatu, ndyoka ye mwene e li utha, okwa yi kuBetel e ta yamba efikilondjambo koshiyambelo mokudhana oshituthi shoka e shi totele Aaisraeli.
