Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all of Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. It happened that Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it while he was still in Egypt where he had fled from the face of King Solomon, and Jeroboam had lived in Egypt. So they sent and summoned him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came. Then they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, "Your father made our yoke heavy; now lighten the hard labor of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you." He said, "Go up for three days and then return to me"; so the people went away.

Then King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had been serving before Solomon his father when he was alive, saying, "How are you advising me to answer this people?" They said to him, "If you will be a servant today to this people, then you will serve them; and if you answer them and speak good words to them, they will always be your servants." But he rejected the advice of the old men, which they gave him, and he consulted with the youngsters who had grown up with him, who were serving before him. He said to them, "What are you advising that we should reply to this people who spoke to me by saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us.’" Then the youngsters who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you: ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. So then, my father loaded a heavy yoke on all of you, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions!’"

Jeroboam and all of the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken: "Return to me on the third day." Then the king answered all the people harshly, as he had rejected the advice of the old men that they had offered. He spoke to them according to the advice of the youngsters, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add onto your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turning of events from Yahweh in order to fulfill his word which Yahweh had spoken through the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. When all of Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "What share do we have in David? There is no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now look to your house, David!" Then Israel went to their tents.

The Israelites were living in the cities of Judah, and Rehoboam was reigning over them. King Rehoboam sent Adoram who was over the forced labor, and all of Israel cast stones at him and he died, but King Rehoboam managed to get up on the chariot to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David until this day.

It happened that just when all of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all of Israel. Not one followed after the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone. When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all of the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand choice troops to fight with the house of Israel, to restore the kingship to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. Then the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, "Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon the king of Judah and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and the remainder of the people, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh: "You shall not go up and you shall not fight with your brothers the Israelites. Return each of you to his house, for this thing was from me."’" So they heeded the word of Yahweh, and they returned to go home according to the word of Yahweh.

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and he resided in it. Then he went out from there and built Penuel. Then Jeroboam said to himself, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem. The heart of this people will return to their master Rehoboam the king of Judah, and they shall kill me and return to him."

And the king had decided, so he made two golden calves and he said to them, "You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough; here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." He put one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. This thing became a sin, and the people walked before the one as far as Dan. Then he built the houses on the high places, and he appointed priests from all walks of life who were not from the sons of Levi. Jeroboam also inaugurated a religious feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the religious feast which was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. Thus he did in Bethel, by sacrificing to the calves that he had made; and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. He offered sacrifices on the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month which his heart had devised. He inaugurated a religious feast for the Israelites, and he went up to the altar to offer incense.

Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. And it happened that when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it—now he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon—Jeroboam returned from Egypt. And they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and all Israel went, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, "Your father made our yoke heavy. Now, therefore, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, and we will serve you." And he said to them, "In three days return to me again." And the people went away.

Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had been serving before Solomon his father when he was alive, saying, "What word do you advise to answer this people?" And they said to him, "If you will be good to this people and please them, then speak good words to them. Then they will be your servants forever." But he forsook the advice of the elders that advised him and took counsel of the young men who had grown up with him who were serving before him. And he said to them, "What do you advise that we should say in return to this people, who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father has put upon us’?" Then the young men who had grown up with him said to him, "Thus you should say to this people who have said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, so you yourself should lighten it for us.’ Thus you should say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father. So now, my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, but I myself will add to the yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I myself will do so with scorpions.’"

Then 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." And the king answered them harshly, and King Rehoboam forsook the advice of the elders. And he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "I will make your yoke heavy, and I myself will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will do so with scorpions." So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turning of events from God, so that Yahweh might fulfill his word that he had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. So all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, and the people answered the king, saying, "What portion is there for us in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each to your tents, O Israel! Now look to your own house, David!" And all Israel went to their own tents. But as for the Israelites who were living in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam ruled over them. Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him with stones, and he died. Then King Rehoboam hastily went up into the chariot to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel has rebelled against the house of David until this day.

When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors, to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying, "Say to Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, ‘Thus says Yahweh: "Do not go up, and do not fight against your brothers. Return, each man to his house, for this matter has come from me."’" So they obeyed the words of Yahweh and turned back from going against Jeroboam.

And Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built cities as strongholds in Judah. He built Bethlehem, Etah, Tekoa, Beth-Zur, Socoh, Adullam, Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. And he strengthened the fortifications and put commanders in them, along with stores of food, olive oil, and wine. And in all the cities he put shields and spears, and he greatly strengthened them. So he had Judah and Benjamin.

Now the priests and the Levites who were throughout all Israel took their stand with him from all their territories. For the Levites left their pasturelands and their property and came to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to Yahweh. And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the bull calves that he had made. Then after them, from all the tribes of Israel, those who set their heart to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to offer to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, secure for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

Then Rehoboam took to himself as a wife Mahalath, the daughter of Yerimot son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse. And she bore to him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. And after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines (for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as chief and crown prince over his brothers, in order to make him king. And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons throughout all the land of Judah and Benjamin, through all the fortified cities, and gave abundant provisions to them and obtained many wives for them.

Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of the chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth that is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life which God, who does not lie, promised before eternal ages, but at the proper time has disclosed his message in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the command of God our Savior, to Titus, my true child according to a common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

On account of this, I left you behind in Crete, in order that what remains may be set in order and you may appoint elders in every town, as I ordered you. If anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of dissipation or rebellious. For it is necessary for the overseer to be blameless as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, prudent, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast to the faithful message according to the teaching, in order that he may be able both to exhort with sound instruction and to reprove those who speak against it.

For there are many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whom it is necessary to silence, whoever are ruining whole families by teaching things which must not be taught for the sake of dishonest gain. A certain one of them, one of their own prophets, has said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true, for which reason reprove them severely, in order that they may be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, but both their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny him, because they are detestable and disobedient, and unfit for every good deed.