1 Kings 12, 2 Chronicles 10, Revelation 20, Psalm 1

Rehoboam Forsakes the Elders’ Counsel

12^aThen Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to ^bShechem to make him king. ²And it happened, ^awhen Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, ¹he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). ³Then they sent and called for him. And Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴“^aYour father made our yoke harsh; but you, now, lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” ⁵Then he said to them, “^aGo ¹for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.

⁶Then King Rehoboam ^atook counsel with the elders who had stood before his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to respond to this people?” ⁷And they spoke to him, saying, “^aIf you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and ¹grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” ⁸But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had counseled him, and took counsel with the young men who grew up with him and stood before him. ⁹So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may respond to this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” ¹⁰Then the young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!’ Thus you shall speak to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! ¹¹‘So now, my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

¹²So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had spoken, saying, “^aReturn to me on the third day.” ¹³And the king answered the people harshly, and he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had ¹given him, ¹⁴and he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “^aMy father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” ¹⁵So the king did not listen to the people; ^afor it was a turn of events from Yahweh, ^bthat He might establish His word, which Yahweh spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Israel Rebels Against Judah

¹⁶Then all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them. So the people responded to the king with this word, saying, “What portion do we have in David?We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;^aTo your tents, O Israel!Now see to your own house, David!” So Israel went to their tents.¹⁷But ^aas for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸Then King Rehoboam sent ^aAdoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel ¹stoned him and he died. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹^aSo Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

²⁰Now it happened when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the congregation and made him king over all Israel. ^aNone but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.

²¹^aThen Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who could wage war, to fight against the house of Israel to return the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ²²But the word of God came to ^aShemaiah 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 ^arest of the people, saying, ²⁴‘Thus says Yahweh, “You shall not go up and fight against your brothers, the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, ^afor this thing is from Me.”’” So they listened to the word of Yahweh, and returned to go their way according to the word of Yahweh.

Jeroboam Makes Golden Calves

²⁵Then ^aJeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived ¹there. And he went out from there and built ^bPenuel. ²⁶And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. ²⁷“^aIf this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” ²⁸So the king took counsel, and ^amade two golden ^bcalves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; ^cbehold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” ²⁹And he set ^aone in ^bBethel, and one he put in ^cDan. ³⁰Now ^athis thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. ³¹And ^ahe made houses on high places, and ^bmade priests from among ¹all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. ³²And Jeroboam made a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, ^alike the feast which is in Judah, and he ¹went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, to sacrifice to the calves which he had made. And he had ^bthe priests of the high places, which he had made, stand in Bethel. ³³Then he ¹went 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 ²^,^adevised ³in his own heart; and he made a feast for the sons of Israel and ⁴went up to the altar ^bto burn ⁵incense.

Rehoboam’s Foolish Reign

10^aThen Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ²And it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for ^ahe was in Egypt where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), Jeroboam returned from Egypt. ³Then they sent and called for him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴“Your father made our ^ayoke harsh; but now, lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” ⁵Then he said to them, “Return to me again in three days.” So the people went away.

⁶Then King Rehoboam ^atook counsel with the elders who had ¹stood before his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to respond to this people?” ⁷And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be good to this people and please them and ^aspeak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” ⁸But he ^aforsook the counsel of the elders which they had counseled him, and took counsel with the young men who grew up with him and ¹stood before him. ⁹So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may respond to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” ¹⁰Then the young men who grew up with him spoke with him, saying, “Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us.’ Thus you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! ¹¹‘So now my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

¹²So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had spoken, saying, “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³And the king answered them harshly, and King Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the elders, ¹⁴and he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “¹My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” ¹⁵So the king did not listen to the people, ^afor it was a turn of events from God, ^bthat Yahweh might establish His word, which He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶Now all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them. So the people responded to the king, saying, “^aWhat portion do we have in David?We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.Every man to your tents, O Israel;Now see to your own house, David.” ^bSo all Israel went to their tents.¹⁷But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was ^aover the forced labor, and the sons of Israel ¹stoned him and he died. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹So ^aIsrael has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

Christ’s Thousand Year Reign

20Then I saw ^aan angel coming down from heaven, having the ^bkey of the abyss and a great chain ¹in his hand. ²And he laid hold of the ^adragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and ^bbound him for a thousand years; ³and he threw him into the ^aabyss, and shut it and ^bsealed it over him, so that he would ^cnot deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were finished. After these things he must be released for a short time.

⁴Then I saw ^athrones, and ^bthey sat on them, and ^cjudgment was given to them. And I saw ^dthe souls of those who had been beheaded because of ¹their ^ewitness of Jesus and because of the word of God, and who also had not ^fworshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished. ^aThis is the first resurrection. ⁶^aBlessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over these the ^bsecond death has no authority, but they will be ^cpriests of God and of Christ and will ^dreign with Him for a thousand years.

The Defeat of Satan

⁷And when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be ^areleased from his prison, ⁸and will come out to ^adeceive the nations which are in the ^bfour corners of the earth, ^cGog and Magog, to ^dgather them together for the war; the number of them is like the ^esand of the ¹seashore. ⁹And they ^acame up on the ¹broad plain of the earth and surrounded the ^bcamp of the saints and the ^cbeloved city, and ^dfire came down from heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰And ^athe devil who ^bdeceived them was thrown into the ^clake of fire and ¹brimstone, where the ^dbeast and the ^efalse prophet are also, and they will be ^ftormented day and night forever and ever.

The Great White Throne Judgment

¹¹Then I saw a great white ^athrone and Him who sits upon it, from whose ¹presence ^bearth and heaven fled away, and ^cno place was found for them. ¹²Then I saw the dead, the ^agreat and the small, standing before the throne, and ¹^,^bbooks were opened; and another ²book was opened, which is ^cthe book of life. And the dead ^dwere judged from the things which were written in the ³books, ^eaccording to their deeds. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and ^adeath and Hades ^bgave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them ^caccording to their deeds. ¹⁴Then ^adeath and Hades were thrown into ^bthe lake of fire. This is the ^csecond death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵And if ¹anyone’s name was not found written in ^athe book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

BOOK 1

The Way of the Righteous and Wicked

1How blessed is the man who ^adoes not walk in the ^bcounsel of the wicked,Nor stand in the ^cway of sinners,Nor ^dsit in the seat of scoffers!²But his ^adelight is ^bin the law of ¹Yahweh,And in His law he meditates ^cday and ^dnight.³And he will be like ^aa tree firmly planted by ¹streams of water,Which yields its fruit in its seasonAnd its ²leaf does not wither;And ³in whatever he does, ^bhe prospers.⁴The wicked are not so,But they are like ^achaff which the wind drives away.⁵Therefore ^athe wicked will not rise in the ^bjudgment,Nor sinners in ^cthe congregation of the righteous.⁶For Yahweh ¹^,^aknows the way of the righteous,But the way of ^bthe wicked will perish.