They came from nations about which the <sc>Lordsc> had warned the Israelites, &#8220;You must not establish friendly relations with them!<n id="1" /> If you do, they will surely shift your allegiance to their gods.&#8221;<n id="2" /> But Solomon was irresistibly attracted to them.<n id="3" />p>

When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to<n id="1" /> other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the <sc>Lordsc> his God, as his father David had been.<n id="2" />

So the <sc>Lordsc> said to Solomon, &#8220;Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you,<n id="1" /> I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

Tahpenes&#8217; sister gave birth to his son,<n id="1" /> named Genubath. Tahpenes raised<n id="2" /> him in Pharaoh&#8217;s palace; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh&#8217;s palace among Pharaoh&#8217;s sons.

At that time, when Jeroboam had left Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road; the two of them were alone in the open country. Ahijah<n id="1" /> was wearing a brand new robe,

He asked them, &#8220;How do you advise me<n id="1" /> to respond to these people who said to me, &#8216;Lessen the demands your father placed on us&#8217;?&#8221;<n id="2" />

The young advisers with whom Rehoboam<n id="1" /> had grown up said to him, &#8220;Say this to these people who have said to you, &#8216;Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.&#8217;<n id="2" /> Say this to them: &#8216;I am a lot harsher than my father!<n id="3" />

The king refused to listen to the people, because the <sc>Lordsc> was instigating this turn of events<n id="1" /> so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made<n id="2" /> through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.p>

King Rehoboam sent Adoniram,<n id="1" /> the supervisor of the work crews,<n id="2" /> out after them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem.<n id="3" />

With the authority of the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> he cried out against the altar, &#8220;O altar, altar! This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />

But the prophet said to the king, &#8220;Even if you were to give me half your possessions,<n id="1" /> I could not go with you and eat and drink<n id="2" /> in this place.

and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;You<n id="1" /> have rebelled against the <sc>Lordsc><n id="2" /> and have not obeyed the command the <sc>Lordsc> your God gave you.

When the old prophet who had invited him to his house heard the news,<n id="1" /> he said, &#8220;It is the prophet<n id="2" /> who rebelled against the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="3" /> The <sc>Lordsc> delivered him over to the lion and it ripped him up<n id="4" /> and killed him, just as the <sc>Lordsc> warned him.&#8221;<n id="5" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">After this happened, Jeroboam still did not change his evil ways;<n id="1" /> he continued to appoint common people<n id="2" /> as priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he consecrated as a priest.<n id="3" />

When Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, &#8220;Come on in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have been commissioned to give you bad news.<n id="1" />

I tore the kingdom away from the Davidic dynasty and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me wholeheartedly by doing only what I approve.<n id="1" />

All Israel will mourn him and bury him. He is the only one in Jeroboam&#8217;s family<n id="1" /> who will receive a decent burial, for he is the only one in whom the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel found anything good.

He did this<n id="1" /> because David had done what he approved<n id="2" /> and had not disregarded any of his commandments<n id="3" /> his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite.

&#8220;I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made.<n id="1" /> See, I have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.&#8221;<n id="2" />

When he became king, he executed Jeroboam&#8217;s entire family. He wiped out everyone who breathed,<n id="1" /> just as the <sc>Lordsc> had predicted<n id="2" /> through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.