1 Kings 12:25–33

Jeroboam’s Gold Calves

²⁵Then Jeroboam ^sbuilt ⁵Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built ^tPenuel. ²⁶And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: ²⁷If these people ^ugo up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

²⁸Therefore the king asked advice, ^vmade two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. ^wHere are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” ²⁹And he set up one in ^xBethel, and the other he put in ^yDan. ³⁰Now this thing became ^za sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. ³¹He made ⁶shrines on the high places, ^aand made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

³²Jeroboam ⁷ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like ^bthe feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. ^cAnd at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. ³³So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had ^ddevised in his own heart. And he ⁸ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and ^eburned incense.