1   And Roboam came into Sichem: for thither was al Israel gathered together to make him king.

2   But Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat, when he was yet in Ægypt fugitiue from the face of king Salomon, hearing of his death, returned out of Ægypt.

3   And they sent and called him: Ieroboam therfore came, and al the multitude of Israel, and they spake to Roboam, saying.

4   Thy father layd a most hard

Roboam. yoke vpon vs: thou therfore diminish now a litle of thy fathers most hard empire, and of the most heauie yoke, that he layd vpon vs, and we wil serue thee.

5   Who sayd to them: Goe vntil the third day, and returne to me. And when the people was gone,

6   king Roboam tooke counsel with the ancientes, that assisted before Salomon his father, whiles he yet liued, and he sayd: What counsel doe you geue me, that I may answer this people?

7   Who sayd to him: If this day thou wilt yeld to this people, and condescend to them, and graunt to their petition, and wilt speake to them gentle wordes, they wil be thy seruantes alwaies.

8   Who leaft the counsel of the ancientes, which they had geuen him, and admitted yongmen, that had bene brought vp with him, and wayted on him,

9   and he sayd to them: What counsel geue you me, that I may answer this people, which haue sayd to me: Make the yoke lighter which thy father hath put vpon vs?

10   And the yongmen, that had bene brought vp with him, sayd: Thus speake to this people, which haue spoken to thee, saying: Thy father aggrauated our yoke, doe thou ease it. Thus shalt thou speake to them: My leaft finger is grosser then the backe of my father.

11   And now my father layd vpon you a heauie yoke, but I wil adde vpon your yoke: my father bette you with scourges, but I wil beate you with scorpions.

12   Ieroboam therfore came, and al the people to Roboam the third day, as the king had spoken, saying: Returne to me the third day.

13   And the king answered the people rough wordes, leauing the counsel of the ancientes, which they had geuen him,

14   and he spake to them according to the counsel of the youngmen, saying: My father made your yoke heauie, but I wil adde to your yoke: my father bette you with whippes, but I wil beate you with scorpions.

15   And the king condescended not to the people: because our Lord was turned away from him, ^note that he might rayse vp his word, which he had spoken in the hand of Ahias the Silonite, to Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat.

16   The people therfore seing that the king would not heare them, answered him, saying: What part haue we in Dauid? or what inheritance in the sonne of Isai? Goe into thy tabernacles Israel, now see to thy house Dauid. And Israel went into their tabernacles.

17   But ouer the children of Israel, whosoeuer dwelt in the cities of Iuda, Roboam reigned.

18   King Roboam

Ieroboam. therfore sent Aduram, who was ouer the tributes: and al Israel stoned him, and he died, moreouer King Roboam in hast went vp into his chariote, and fled into Ierusalem:

19   and Israel reuolted from the house of Dauid, vntil this present day.

20   And it came to passe when al Israel had heard, that Ieroboam was returned, they sent, and called him, and assemblie being gathered, and they made him king ouer al Israel, neither did any man folow the house of Dauid beside the tribe of Iuda onlie.

21   And Roboam came to Ierusalem, and gathered together al the house of Iuda, and the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred fourescore thousand chosen men warriers, to fight agaynst the house of Israel, and to reduce the kingdom to Roboam the sonne of Salomon.

22   But the word of our Lord came to Semeias the man of God, saying:

23   Speake to Roboam the sonne of Salomon, the king of Iuda, and to al the house of Iuda, and Beniamin, and the rest of the people, saying:

24   Thus sayth our Lord: You shal not goe vp, neither shal you fight agaynst your brethren the children of Israel: let euerie man returne into his house, for this word is done by me. They heard the word of our Lord, and returned from their iourney as our Lord had commanded them.

25   And Ieroboam built Sichem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt there: and departing thence he built Phanuel.

26   And Ieroboam sayd in his hart: Now wil the kingdom returne to the house of Dauid,

27   if this people shal goe vp to make sacrifices in the house of our Lord into Ierusalem: and the hart of this people wil be turned to their lord Roboam the king of Iuda, and they wil kil me, and returne to him.

28   And finding out ^notea deuise he made two golden calues, and sayd to them: Goe vp no more into Ierusalem: Behold thy goddes Israel, which brought thee out of the Land of Ægypt.

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

30   and this thing was an occasion of sinne: for the people went to adore the calfe, as farre as Dan.

31   And he made temples in the excelses, and priestes ^noteof the abiectes of the people, which were not of the children of Leui.

32   And he appoynted a solemne day in the eight moneth, the fiftenth day of the moneth, after the similitude of the solemnitie, that was celebrated in Iuda. And going vp he made in like maner an altar in Bethel, to immolate to the calues, which he had framed: and he ordayned in Bethel priestes of the ^note excelses, which he had made.

33   And he

Ieroboam. went vpon the altar, which he had built in Bethel, the fiftenth day of the eight moneth, which he had forged out of his owne hart: and he made a solemnitie to the children of Israel, and went vp vpon the altar, to burne incense.

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