1 Kings 14:1–20

Disaster on the House of Jeroboam

14At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became sick. ^l2Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go disguise yourself, ^mso they won’t know that you’re Jeroboam’s wife, and go to Shiloh. ⁿAhijah the prophet is there; it was he who told about me becoming king over this people. ^o3Take with you 10 loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, ^pand go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

⁴Jeroboam’s wife did that: she went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah’s house. Ahijah could not see; his gaze was fixed ^qdue to his age. ^r5But the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming soon to ask you about her son, for he is sick. You are to say such and such to her. When she arrives, she will be disguised.” ^s

⁶When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? ^tI have bad news for you. ⁷Go tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I raised you up from among the people, appointed you ruler over My people Israel, ⁸tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you. ^uBut you were not like My servant David, who kept My commands and followed Me with all of his heart, doing only what is right in My eyes. ⁹You behaved more wickedly than all who were before you. ^vIn order to provoke Me, you have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and cast images, ^wbut you have flung Me behind your back. ^x10Because of all this, I am about to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam:

I will eliminate all of Jeroboam’s males, ^y

both slave and free, ^zin Israel;

I will sweep away the house of Jeroboam

as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone! ^a

¹¹Anyone who belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city,

the dogs will eat,

and anyone who dies in the field,

the birds of the sky will eat, ^b

for the Lord has said it!’

¹²“As for you, get up and go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the boy will die. ^c13All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He alone out of Jeroboam’s house will be put in the family tomb, because out of the house of Jeroboam the Lord God of Israel found something good only in him. ^d14The Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel, who will eliminate the house of Jeroboam. ^eThis is the day, yes, ^feven today! ¹⁵For the Lord will strike Israel and the people will shake as a reed shakes in water. He will uproot Israel from this good soil that He gave to their ancestors. ^gHe will scatter them beyond the Euphrates ^hbecause they made their Asherah poles, provoking the Lord. ⁱ¹⁶He will give up Israel because of Jeroboam’s sins that he committed and caused Israel to commit.” ^j

¹⁷Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and left and went to Tirzah. ^kAs she was crossing the threshold of the house, the boy died. ¹⁸He was buried, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet. ^l

¹⁹As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, how he waged war ^mand how he reigned, note that they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. ²⁰The length of Jeroboam’s reign was 22 years. He rested with his fathers, and his son Nadab became king in his place. ⁿ