1 Kings 11:23–39

^23aGod also raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord ^bHadadezer king of Zobah.

²⁴He gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, ^aafter David slew them of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and stayed ¹there, and reigned in Damascus.

²⁵So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.

²⁶Then ^aJeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, ^balso ¹rebelled against the king.

²⁷Now this was the reason why he ¹rebelled against the king: ^aSolomon built the ²Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David.

²⁸Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when ^aSolomon saw that the young man was ¹industrious, he appointed him over all the ²forced labor of the house of Joseph.

²⁹It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that ^athe prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now ¹Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field.

³⁰Then ^aAhijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.

³¹He said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, ^aI will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes

³²(^abut he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, ^bthe city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel),

³³because they have forsaken Me, and ^ahave worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, ^bChemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did.

³⁴‘Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ¹ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes;

³⁵but ^aI will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes.

³⁶‘But ^ato his son I will give one tribe, ^bthat My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.

³⁷‘I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever ¹you desire, and you shall be king over Israel.

³⁸‘Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then ^aI will be with you and ^bbuild you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

³⁹‘Thus I will afflict the ¹descendants of David for this, but not always.’ ”