1 Kings 12:25–33

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 ^2adevised ³in his own heart; and he made a feast for the sons of Israel and ⁴went up to the altar ^bto burn ⁵incense.