Israel's Revolt

12¹ Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. ² It happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam lived in Egypt, ³ and they sent and called him), that Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “Your father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make you the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.” ⁵ He said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.”

The people departed. ⁶ King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, “What counsel do you give me to return answer to this people?” ⁷ They spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to this people this day, and will serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” ⁸ But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. ⁹ He said to them, “What counsel do you give, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Make the yoke that your father did put on us lighter?’” ¹⁰ The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall tell this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter to us;’ you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. ¹¹ Now whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father 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 asked, saying, “Come to me again the third day.” ¹³ The king answered the people roughly, and forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, ¹⁴ and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king didn’t listen to the people; for it was a thing brought about of Yahweh, that he might establish his word, which Yahweh spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king didn’t listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion have we in David? Neither do we have an inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David.” So Israel departed to their tents. ¹⁷ But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸ Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day. ²⁰ It happened, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was returned, that they sent and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. ²¹ When Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, who 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 to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ²³ “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, ²⁴ ‘Thus says Yahweh, “You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers, the children of Israel. Everyone return to his house; for this thing is of me.”’” So they listened to the word of Yahweh, and returned and went their way, according to the word of Yahweh.

Jeroboam Leads Israel into Sin

²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived in it; and he went out from there, and built Penuel. ²⁶ Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. ²⁷ If this people goes up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” ²⁸ Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look and see your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ²⁹ He set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. ³⁰ This thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one, even to Dan. ³¹ He made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. ³² Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; so did he in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. ³³ He went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart: and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up to the altar, to burn incense.

The Prophet of Judah Warns Jeroboam

13¹ Behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Yahweh to Beth El: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. ² He cried against the altar by the word of Yahweh, and said, “Altar, altar, thus says Yahweh: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name. On you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and they will burn men’s bones on you.’” ³ He gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which Yahweh has spoken: Behold, the altar will be split apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.” ⁴ It happened, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, that Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” His hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to himself. ⁵ The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Yahweh. ⁶ The king answered the man of God, “Now entreat the favor of Yahweh your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again.”

The man of God entreated Yahweh, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. ⁷ The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” ⁸ The man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of your house, I would not go in with you, neither would I eat bread nor drink water in this place; ⁹ for so was it commanded me by the word of Yahweh, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that you came.’” ¹⁰ So he went another way, and didn’t return by the way that he came to Bethel.

¹¹ Now there lived an old prophet in Bethel; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. ¹² Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen which way the man of God went, who came from Judah. ¹³ He said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it. ¹⁴ He went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. He said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”

He said, “I am.” ¹⁵ Then he said to him, “Come home with me, and eat bread.” ¹⁶ He said, “I may not return with you, nor go in with you; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. ¹⁷ For it was said to me by the word of Yahweh, ‘You shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that you came.’” ¹⁸ He said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the word of Yahweh, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” He lied to him. ¹⁹ So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. ²⁰ It happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of Yahweh came to the prophet who brought him back; ²¹ and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have been disobedient to the mouth of Yahweh, and have not kept the commandment which Yahweh your God commanded you, ²² but came back, and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread, and drink no water;” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”

²³ It happened, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. ²⁴ When he had gone, a lion met him by the way, and killed him. His body was cast in the way, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the body. ²⁵ Behold, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived. ²⁶ When the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the mouth of Yahweh. Therefore Yahweh has delivered him to the lion, which has mauled him and slain him, according to the word of Yahweh, which he spoke to him.” ²⁷ He spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” They saddled it. ²⁸ He went and found his body cast in the way, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body, nor mauled the donkey. ²⁹ The prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. He came to the city of the old prophet to mourn, and to bury him. ³⁰ He laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!” ³¹ It happened, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. ³² For the saying which he cried by the word of Yahweh against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely happen.” ³³ After this thing Jeroboam didn’t return from his evil way, but again made priests of the high places from among all the people. Whoever wanted to, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places. ³⁴ This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the surface of the earth.

The Plot against Jesus

22¹ Now the feast of unleavened bread, which is called the Passover, drew near. ² The chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put him to death, for they feared the people. ³ Satan entered into Judas, who was surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered with the twelve. ⁴ He went away, and talked with the chief priests and captains about how he might deliver him to them. ⁵ They were glad, and agreed to give him money. ⁶ He consented, and sought an opportunity to deliver him to them in the absence of the multitude.

Jesus Eats the Passover with His Disciples

⁷ The day of unleavened bread came, on which the Passover must be sacrificed. ⁸ He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.” ⁹ They said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare?” ¹⁰ He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him into the house which he enters. ¹¹ Tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ ¹² He will show you a large, furnished upper room. Make preparations there.” ¹³ They went, found things as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. ¹⁴ When the hour had come, he sat down with the twelve apostles. ¹⁵ He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, ¹⁶ for I tell you, I will no longer by any means eat of it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ He received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, “Take this, and share it among yourselves, ¹⁸ for I tell you, I will not drink at all again from the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” ²⁰ Likewise, he took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

²¹ But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. ²² The Son of Man indeed goes, as it has been determined, but woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!” ²³ They began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

The Dispute about Greatness

²⁴ There arose also a contention among them, which of them was considered to be greatest. ²⁵ He said to them, “The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ ²⁶ But not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves. ²⁷ For who is greater, one who sits at the table, or one who serves? Isn’t it he who sits at the table? But I am in the midst of you as one who serves. ²⁸ But you are those who have continued with me in my trials. ²⁹ I confer on you a kingdom, even as my Father conferred on me, ³⁰ that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. You will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”