مرض ابن يربعام
1 في تِلكَ الأيّامِ مَرِضَ أبـيَّا بنُ يَرُبعامَ، 2 فقالَ يَرُبعامُ لِزَوجَتِهِ: «قومي تنَكَّري حتّى لا يَعلمَ أحدٌ أنَّكِ زَوجَتي، واذهَبـي إلى شيلُوه حَيثُ يُقيمُ أخيَّا النَّبـيُّ الّذي تنبَّأَ لي أنِّي سأكونُ مَلِكا لِهذا الشَّعبِ. 3 وخُذي في يَدِكِ عشَرَةَ أرغِفةٍ وكَعكا وجَرَّةَ عسَلٍ وروحي إليهِ وهوَ يُخبِرُكِ عَمَّا يُصيـبُ الولَدَ».
4 فذَهبَت إلى شيلُوه ودخَلَت بَيتَ أخيَّا النَّبـيِّ، وكانَ لا يُبصِرُ لأنَّ عَينَيهِ ضَعُفَتا مِنَ الشَّيخوخةِ. 5 فقالَ الرّبُّ لأخيَّا: «هذِهِ زَوجَةُ يَرُبعامَ قادِمةٌ إليكَ تَستَخبِرُكَ عَنِ ابنِها المريضِ. فكَلِّمْها بِكذا وكذا». فلمَّا دخَلَت، وهيَ مُتنَكِّرَةٌ 6 سَمِعَ وَقْعَ خطَواتِها في البابِ فقالَ لها: «أُدخُلي يا زَوجَةَ يَرُبعامَ. لِماذا أنتِ مُتَنكِّرَةٌ، ولكِ عِندي خَبَرٌ سَيِّـئٌ؟ 7 عودي وقولي لِـيَرُبعامَ: هذا ما قالَ الرّبُّ إلهُ إِسرائيلَ: إختَرتُكَ مِنْ عامَّةِ الشَّعبِ وجعَلتُكَ رئيسا على مَملكَةِ إِسرائيلَ، 8 وانتَزَعْتُ المُلْكَ مِنْ بَيتِ داوُدَ وأعطَيتُهُ لكَ. لكِنَّكَ لم تكُنْ كَعَبدي داوُدَ الّذي عَمِلَ بِوَصايايَ، وتَبِــعَني بِكُلِّ قلبِهِ، ولم يعمَلْ إلاَّ ما هوَ قَويمٌ في نظَري، 9 بل زادَ عمَلُكَ سُوءًا على كُلِّ مَنْ كانَ قَبلَكَ. فنَبَذتَني وأغَظتَني حينَ صَنَعْتَ لِنَفْسِكَ أصناما ومَسبوكاتٍ لِلعِبادةِ. 10 لذلِكَ أجلِبُ الشَّرَّ على بَيتِكَ، فأُبـيدُ لكَ كُلَّ ذَكَرٍ، مِنَ الكبـيرِ إلى الصَّغيرِ، وأُفنيهِم عَنْ آخِرِهِم، كما يُكنَّسُ البَعْرُ، 11 ومَنْ ماتَ لكَ في المدينةِ تأكُلُهُ الكلابُ، ومَنْ ماتَ في البرِّيَّةِ تأكُلُهُ طَيرُ السَّماءِ. هوَ الرّبُّ تكلَّمَ».
12 ثُمَّ قالَ أخيَّا لِزَوجَةِ يَرُبعامَ: «عُودي إلى بَيتِكِ، وعِندَ دُخولِكِ المدينةَ يموتُ الولَدُ، 13 فيَندُبُهُ شَعب إِسرائيلَ ويقبِرونَهُ، وهوَ الوحيدُ الّذي يُقبَرُ مِنْ بَيتِ يَرُبعامَ. لأنَّهُ الوحيدُ مِنْ بَيتِ يَرُبعامَ الّذي فيهِ شيءٌ يُرضي الرّبَّ إلهَ إِسرائيلَ، 14 وسيُقيمُ الرّبُّ مَلِكا على إِسرائيلَ لِـيُبـيدَ بَيتَ يَرُبعامَ، 15 ويضرِبُ الرّبُّ شعبَ إِسرائيلَ فيَهتَزُّونَ كالقصَبِ في الماءِ، ويقتَلِعُهُم مِنْ هذِهِ الأرضِ الصَّالحةِ الّتي أعطاها آباءَهُم ويُبَدِّدُهُم إلى عِبرِ الفُراتِ، لأنَّهُم أغاظوهُ بِإقامةِ أنصابٍ لأشيرةِ، 16 ويتَخَلَّى عَنْ إِسرائيلَ لأنَّ يَرُبعامَ خطِـئَ وجعَلَ شعبَ إِسرائيلَ يَخطَأُ».
موت يربعام وابنه
17 فرجَعَت زَوجَةُ يَرُبعامَ إلى تِرْصَةَ، وعِندَ دُخولِها عتَبةَ بابِ بَيتِها ماتَ الولَدُ. 18 فدَفنَهُ شعبُ إِسرائيلَ، وندَبوهُ كما تكلَّمَ الرّبُّ على لِسانِ عَبدِهِ أخيَّا النَّبـيِّ. 19 وما بَقيَ مِنْ أخبارِ يَرُبعامَ: كيفَ حاربَ وكيفَ مَلَكَ مُدَوَّنَةٌ في سِفرِ الأخبارِ لِمُلوكِ إِسرائيلَ. 20 وملَكَ يَرُبعامُ اثنَتَينِ وعِشرينَ سنَةً وماتَ، فمَلَكَ نادابُ ابنُهُ مكانَهُ.
رحبعام ملك يهوذا
(2أخ 12:1-16)21 وكانَ رَحُبعامُ بنُ سُليمانَ ابنَ إحدى وأربَعينَ سنَةً حينَ مَلَكَ في يَهوذا، وملَكَ سَبعَ عشْرَةَ سنَةً بِأُورُشليمَ المدينةِ الّتي اختارَها الرّبُّ مِنْ جميعِ مُدُنِ إِسرائيلَ لِـيَجعَلَ اسمَهُ هُناكَ. واسمُ أمِّهِ نِعمَةُ العَمُّونيَّةُ.
22 وفعَلَ شعبُ يَهوذا الشَّرَّ أمامَ الرّبِّ، وأثاروا غضَبَهُ بِـخَطاياهُم أكثَر مِمَّا أثارَهُ جميعُ آبائِهِم. 23 فبَنَوا لأنْفُسِهِم مذابِـحَ وأنصابا ورُموزا لأشيرةِ على كُلِّ تَلَّةٍ عاليةٍ وتَحتَ كُلِّ شجَرةٍ خضراءَ. 24 كذلِكَ في أرضِهِم كانَ رِجالٌ ونِساءٌ يُمارِسونَ البَغاءَ المُكَرَّسَ، وارتكَبوا جميعَ رجاساتِ الأُمَمِ الّتي طرَدَها الرّبُّ مِنْ أمامِ بَني إِسرائيلَ.
25 وفي السَّنةِ الخامِسةِ لِلمَلِكِ رَحُبعامَ صَعِدَ شيشَقُ مَلِكُ مِصْرَ لِمُحاربَةِ أورُشليمَ، 26 فنَهَبَ كُلَّ ما في خزائِنِ هَيكلِ الرّبِّ وقصرِ المَلِكِ، وأخذَ تُروسَ الذَّهبِ الّتي صنَعَها سُليمانُ. 27 فصَنَعَ رَحُبعامُ مكانَها تُروسا مِنْ نُحاسٍ، وسَلَّحَ بِها حُرَّاسَ قصرِهِ. 28 وكانَ إذا دخَلَ المَلِكُ هَيكلَ الرّبِّ يَحمِلُها الحرَسُ إلى هُناكَ، ثُمَّ يَرُدُّونَها إلى غُرفةِ الحِراسةِ.
29 وما بَقيَ مِنْ أخبارِ رَحُبعامَ وكُلِّ أعمالِهِ مُدَوَّنَةٌ في سِفرِ أخبارِ الأيّامِ لِمُلوكِ يَهوذا. 30 وكانَ بَينَ رَحُبعامَ ويَرُبعامَ حربٌ مُستَديمةٌ 31 وماتَ رَحُبعامُ ودُفِنَ معَ آبائِهِ في مدينةِ داوُدَ، وملَكَ أبـيامُ ابْنُهُ مكانَهُ.
Jeroboam's Son Dies
1 About the same time, Abijah son of Jeroboam got sick. 2-3 Jeroboam told his wife:
Disguise yourself so no one will know you're my wife, then go to Shiloh, where the prophet Ahijah lives. Take him ten loaves of bread, some small cakes, and honey, and ask him what will happen to our son. He can tell you, because he's the one who told me I would become king.
4 She got ready and left for Ahijah's house in Shiloh.
Ahijah was now old and blind, 5 but the Lord told him, “Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask about her son. I will tell you what to say to her.”
Jeroboam's wife came to Ahijah's house, pretending to be someone else. 6 But when Ahijah heard her walking up to the door, he said:
Come in! I know you're Jeroboam's wife—why are you pretending to be someone else? I have some bad news for you. 7 Give your husband this message from the Lord God of Israel: “Jeroboam, you know that I, the Lord, chose you over anyone else to be the leader of my people Israel. 8 I even took David's kingdom away from his family and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David. He always obeyed me and did what was right.
9 “You have made me very angry by rejecting me and making idols out of gold. Jeroboam, you have done more evil things than any king before you.
10 “Because of this, I will destroy your family by killing every man and boy in it, whether slave or free. I will wipe out your family, just as fire burns up trash. 11 Dogs will eat the bodies of your relatives who die in town, and vultures will eat the bodies of those who die in the country. I, the Lord, have spoken and will not change my mind!”
12 That's the Lord's message to your husband. As for you, go back home, and right after you get there, your son will die. 13 Everyone in Israel will mourn at his funeral. But he will be the last one from Jeroboam's family to receive a proper burial, because he's the only one the Lord God of Israel is pleased with.
14 The Lord will soon choose a new king of Israel, who will destroy Jeroboam's family. And I mean very soon. 15 The people of Israel have made the Lord angry by setting up sacred poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah. So the Lord will punish them until they shake like grass in a stream. He will take them out of the land he gave to their ancestors, then scatter them as far away as the Euphrates River. 16 Jeroboam sinned and caused the Israelites to sin. Now the Lord will desert Israel.
17 Jeroboam's wife left and went back home to the town of Tirzah. As soon as she set foot in her house, her son died. 18 Everyone in Israel came and mourned at his funeral, just as the Lord's servant Ahijah had said.
Jeroboam Dies
19 Everything else Jeroboam did while he was king, including the battles he won, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. 20 He was king of Israel for 22 years, then he died, and his son Nadab became king.
King Rehoboam of Judah
(2 Chronicles 11.5—12.16)21 Rehoboam son of Solomon was 41 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 17 years from Jerusalem, the city where the Lord had chosen to be worshiped. His mother Naamah was from Ammon.
22 The people of Judah disobeyed the Lord and made him even angrier than their ancestors had. 23 They also built their own local shrines and stone images of foreign gods, and they set up sacred poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah on every hill and in the shade of large trees. 24 Even worse, they allowed prostitutes at the shrines, and followed the disgusting customs of the foreign nations that the Lord had forced out of Canaan.
25 After Rehoboam had been king for four years, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 26 He took everything of value from the temple and the palace, including Solomon's gold shields.
27 Rehoboam had bronze shields made to replace the gold ones, and he ordered the guards at the city gates to keep them safe. 28 Whenever Rehoboam went to the Lord's temple, the guards carried the shields. But they always took them back to the guardroom as soon as he was finished.
29 Everything else Rehoboam did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. 30 He and Jeroboam were constantly at war. 31 Rehoboam's mother Naamah was from Ammon, but when Rehoboam died, he was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem. His son Abijam then became king.
