The Northern Tribes Revolt
(2 Chronicles 10.1-19)1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the people of northern Israel had gathered to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had gone to Egypt to escape from King Solomon, heard this news, he returned from Egypt. 3 The people of the northern tribes sent for him, and then they all went together to Rehoboam and said to him, 4 “Your father Solomon treated us harshly and placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects.”
5 “Come back in three days and I will give you my answer,” he replied. So they left.
6 King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served as his father Solomon's advisers. “What answer do you advise me to give these people?” he asked.
7 They replied, “If you want to serve this people well, give a favorable answer to their request, and they will always serve you loyally.”
8 But he ignored the advice of the older men and went instead to the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers. 9 “What do you advise me to do?” he asked. “What shall I say to the people who are asking me to make their burdens lighter?”
10 They replied, “This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!’ 11 Tell them, ‘My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!’”
12 Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to King Rehoboam, as he had instructed them. 13 The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the people, 14 as the younger men had advised. He said, “My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!” 15 It was the will of the Lord to bring about what he had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. This is why the king did not pay any attention to the people.
16 When the people saw that the king would not listen to them, they shouted, “Down with David and his family! What have they ever done for us? People of Israel, let's go home! Let Rehoboam look out for himself!”
So the people of Israel rebelled, 17 leaving Rehoboam as king only of the people who lived in the territory of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the forced labor, to go to the Israelites, but they stoned him to death. At this, Rehoboam hurriedly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem. 19 Ever since that time the people of the northern kingdom of Israel have been in rebellion against the dynasty of David.
20 When the people of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned from Egypt, they invited him to a meeting of the people and made him king of Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David's descendants.
Shemaiah's Prophecy
(2 Chronicles 11.1-4)21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he called together 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He intended to go to war and restore his control over the northern tribes of Israel. 22 But God told the prophet Shemaiah 23 to give this message to Rehoboam and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin: 24 “Do not attack your own relatives, the people of Israel. Go home, all of you. What has happened is my will.” They all obeyed the Lord's command and went back home.
Jeroboam Turns Away from God
25 King Jeroboam of Israel fortified the town of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there for a while. Then he left and fortified the town of Penuel. 26-27 He said to himself, “As things are now, if my people go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to the Lord in the Temple there, they will transfer their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah and will kill me.”
28 After thinking it over, he made two bull-calves of gold and said to his people, “You have been going long enough to Jerusalem to worship. People of Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt!” 29 He placed one of the gold bull-calves in Bethel and the other in Dan. 30 And so the people sinned, going to worship in Bethel and in Dan. 31 Jeroboam also built places of worship on hilltops, and he chose priests from families who were not of the tribe of Levi.
Worship at Bethel Is Condemned
32 Jeroboam also instituted a religious festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival in Judah. On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the gold bull-calves he had made, and he placed there in Bethel the priests serving at the places of worship he had built. 33 And on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the day that he himself had set, he went to Bethel and offered a sacrifice on the altar in celebration of the festival he had instituted for the people of Israel.
Omahaṋikiro wouhona
(2Eku 10:1-19)1 Rehabeam wa ya kOsikem Ovaisrael avehe vokomukuma wokeyuva kokunene ku va kaworonganena okumuzika okurira ombara. 2 Jerobeam, omuzandu wa Nebat, ngwa ire kOengipte okutaura kombara Salomo, tja zuva ombuze ndji otja kotoka okuza kOengipte. 3 Omihoko vyokeyuva kokunene vya hinda ombuze ku ye okukemuisana; novyo avihe otji vya ya ku Rehabeam navi katja nai: 4 “Iho Salomo we tu tatumisa tjinene nu we tu ungurisa noutwe. Tji wa puparisa omauzeu nga ku eṱe no tjiti kutja tu hupe nawa, matu ku karere.”
5 Eye wa zira a tja: “Kotokeye kombunda yomayuva yetatu, ami otji me mu pe eziriro randje.” Nowo otji va ya.
6 Tjazumba Rehabeam otja kapura kovayandjandunge va Salomo na tja: “Hi kayandje eziriro riṋe kovandu mba?”
7 Nowo va zira nai: “Tji movanga okukarera ovandu mba nawa, ve pa eziriro nda yenene ku ihi tji mave ningire; nowo aruhe otji mave ku karere nondengero.”
8 Nungwari Rehabeam ka zuvire komaronga wovayandjandunge mba. Moruveze rwanao eye wa ya kovayandjandunge ve omuini, ovarumendu mbe kurira pamwe na ye, nu mba ri motjiungura tje. 9 Eye we ve pura na tja: “Mamu ndji pe ondunge ine ndji me sokutjita? Ami hi tje vi kovandu mba mbu mave ningire kutja mbi puparise omauzeu wawo.”
10 Nowo va zira nave tja: “Ove ve raera nai: ‘Omunwe wandje kariwona omutindi pomavango wa tate. 11 Omitwaro vya tate tji vya ri omizeu ku eṋe, imbi ovyandje mavi rire omizeu tjinene komurungu; eye ee mu tono nozongora uriri, nungwari ami me mu tono nozongora zomakuiya.’ ”
12 Kombunda yomayuva yetatu Jerobeam novandu avehe va kotoka kombara Rehabeam otja pe ve raerere. 13 Ombara kai zuvire komaronga wovayandjandunge imba ovanene, nai hungire noutwe novandu, 14 otja ovayandjandunge vayo, imba omitanda, pu ve i raera kutja itje nai: “Omitwaro vya tate tji vya ri omizeu ku eṋe, imbi ovyandje mavi rire omizeu tjinene komurungu; eye ee mu tono nozongora, nungwari ami me mu tono nozongora zomakuiya.” 15 Rehabeam kutja a ha zuu kotjiwaṋa ya ri ombango ya Muhona, okuyenenisa omakwizikiro eye nga yandja ku Jerobeam, omuzandu wa Nebat, notjinyo tjomuprofete Ahija, Omusidon.
16 Ovaisrael tji va muna kutja ombara kai nokupuratena ku wo otji va ravaera nave tja: “David neṱunḓu re nga ze po! Owo hapo ve tu ungurira tjike? Vaisrael, indjeye tu yaruke kozoyetu! Rehabeam nge ritarere omuini!”
Komuhingo mbwi Ovaisrael otji va yaruka kozoyawo. 17 Rehabeam otja honaparera Ovaisrael imba mba tura mehi ra Juda porwe.
18 Nombara Rehabeam wa hinda Adoniram, omutjevere wovaungure voviungura vyoṋiṋikizire, a yende kOvaisrael; nungwari Ovaisrael ve mu zepa nomawe. Kamanga ombara Rehabeam opa rondera metemba re rovita na taurire kOjerusalem. 19 Okuza koruveze ndo nga ku ndinondi Ovaisrael avehe vokeyuva kokunene otji ve pirukira ouhona wa David.
20 Ovaisrael tji va zuva kutja Jerobeam wa kotoka okuza kOengipte otji ve mu ṋanga kombongarero yotjiwaṋa nave mu ziki okurira ombara ya Israel. Omuhoko wa Juda porwe ombwa panḓera pozondekurona za David.
Omaukiro wa Semaja
(2Eku 11:1-4)21 Ombara Rehabeam tje ya mOjerusalem otja woronganisa ovarwe wovita ovatoororwa 180,000 momuhoko wa Juda nowa Benjamin okukarwisa ovita nokuzikamisa ouhona we rukwao momihoko vyOvaisrael, mbi ri komukuma wokeyuva kokunene. 22 Nungwari Ndjambi wa raera omuprofete Semaja 23 kutja a yandje ombuze ndji ku Rehabeam, omuzandu wa Salomo, ombara ya Juda, na kovandu avehe vomuhoko wa Juda nowa Benjamin 24 kutja Muhona wa tja nai: “Amu rwisa ovazamumwe veṋu oveni imba Ovaisrael. Auhe nga yaruke koye, orondu ihi tji tja tjitwa, otjo tja tjitwa i ami.” Owo avehe otji va kara nonḓuviro komarakiza wa Muhona nave yaruka kozoyawo.
Jerobeam ma poka ku Muhona
25 Jerobeam, ombara ya Israel, wa zeuparisa omatungiro wotjihuro Sikem mehi rozondundu ra Efraim, na tura mo oruveze orusupi, okuzambo wa ya na kazeuparisa otjihuro Penuel. 26 Nu Jerobeam we ripura mu ye omuini a tja: “Ngahino ouhona mau yaruka rukwao kozondekurona za David. 27 Orondu otjiwaṋa tjandje tji tja kapunguhira Muhona ozombunguhiro mondjuwo ye mOjerusalem, matji kerikuta kuna Rehabeam, ombara ya Juda, natji ndji zepa.”
28 Jerobeam tja za nokuripura notjiṋa hi otja ungura oviserekarera vivari vyozondwezu zozongombe pongoldo na tja kotjiwaṋa tje: “Eṋe mwa ryangera kOjerusalem potuingi tjinene okukakumba, Vaisrael; oomukuru veṋu mbe mu pitisa mOengipte owo mba!” 29 Ondwezu imwe yongombe yongoldo we i zika mObetel, nongwao we i zika mOdan. 30 Komuhingo mbwi otjiwaṋa otji tja katuka, ama tji kakumbira mObetel na mOdan. 31 Jerobeam wina wa tunga otuveze twomerikotameneno kozondunda na toorora ovapristeri momaṱunḓu nge ha ri owomuhoko wa Levi.
Omerikotameneno mObetel maye nyengewa
32 Jerobeam wa zika omukandi meyuva oritjamurongo na yetano komueze outjahambondatu tjimuna omukandi mbu tjitwa mOjuda. Eye wa punguhira ozondwezu zozongombe zongoldo nḓa ungurira ozombunguhiro kotjipunguhiro mObetel, na ziki ovapristeri poṋa mbo, potuveze twomerikotameneno twokozondunda twa ungura. 33 Nu meyuva oritjamurongo na yetano komueze outjahambondatu, eyuva eye omuini nda zika, wa ya kObetel na katjita omukandi mbwa zikira Ovaisrael ama punguhire ozombunguhiro kotjipunguhiro.
