1 Kings 12
Open in the reader1Then A-People-Has-Enlarged went to Shoulder, for all Strives-with-God had gone there to make him king.
2When The-People-Increase son of Regard heard about this, he was still in Two-Straits where he had fled from King Peace and had been living ever since.
3So they sent for The-People-Increase, and he and the whole assembly of Strives-with-God came to A-People-Has-Enlarged and said,
4“Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5A-People-Has-Enlarged answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.
6Then King A-People-Has-Enlarged consulted with the elders who had served his father Peace during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.
7They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
8But A-People-Has-Enlarged rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him.
9He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
10The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you must make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!
11Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’”
12After three days, The-People-Increase and all the people returned to A-People-Has-Enlarged, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.”
13And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders
14and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”
15So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from He-Who-Is, to fulfill the word He-Who-Is had spoken to The-People-Increase son of Regard through My-Brother-Is-He-Who-Is the Shilonite.
16When all Strives-with-God saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in Beloved, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Strives-with-God! Look now to your own house, O Beloved!” So the children of Strives-with-God went home,
17but A-People-Has-Enlarged still reigned over the children of Strives-with-God living in the cities of Praised.
18Then King A-People-Has-Enlarged sent out My-Lord-Is-Exalted, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Strives-with-God stoned him to death. And King A-People-Has-Enlarged mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Foundation-of-Peace.
19So to this day Strives-with-God has been in rebellion against the house of Beloved.
20When all Strives-with-God heard that The-People-Increase had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Strives-with-God. Only the tribe of Praised followed the house of Beloved.
21And when A-People-Has-Enlarged arrived in Foundation-of-Peace, he mobilized the whole house of Praised and the tribe of Son-of-the-Right-Hand—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of Strives-with-God and restore the kingdom to A-People-Has-Enlarged son of Peace.
22But the word of God came to He-Who-Is-Has-Heard the man of God:
23“Tell A-People-Has-Enlarged son of Peace king of Praised, all the house of Praised and Son-of-the-Right-Hand, and the rest of the people
24that this is what He-Who-Is says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the children of Strives-with-God. Each of you must return home, for this is My doing.’” So they listened to the word of He-Who-Is and turned back according to the word of He-Who-Is.
25Then The-People-Increase built Shoulder in the hill country of Double-Fruit and lived there. And from there he went out and built Face-of-God.
26The-People-Increase said in his heart, “Now the kingdom might revert to the house of Beloved.
27If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of He-Who-Is at Foundation-of-Peace, their hearts will return to their lord, A-People-Has-Enlarged king of Praised; then they will kill me and return to A-People-Has-Enlarged king of Praised.”
28After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Foundation-of-Peace is too much for you. Here, O Strives-with-God, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Two-Straits.”
29One calf he set up in House-of-God, and the other in Judge.
30And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Judge to worship before one of the calves.
31The-People-Increase also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not children of Joined.
32And The-People-Increase ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Praised, and he offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in House-of-God to sacrifice to the calves he had set up, and he installed priests in House-of-God for the high places he had set up.
33On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, The-People-Increase offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in House-of-God. So he ordained a feast for the children of Strives-with-God, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.