8 Nevertheless, they shall be his Servants; that they may know my Service, and the Service of the Kingdoms of the Countries.

9 So Shishak King of Egypt came up against Jerufalem, and took away the Treasures of the House of the LORD, and the Treasures of the King's House, he took all: he carried away also the Shields of Gold which Solomon had

made.

10 Instead of which, King Rehoboam made Shields of Brass, and committed them to the Hands of the chief of the Guard that kept the Entrance of the King's House.

II And when the King entred into the House of the Lord, the Guard came and fet them, and brought them again into the Guard-chamber.

12 And when he humbled himself, the Wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah Things went well.

13 So King Rehoboam strengthned himself in Jerufalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty Years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen Years in Jerufalem, the City which the Lord had chofen out of all the Tribes of Ifrael, to put his Name there: and his Mother's Name was Naamah, an Ammonitefs.

14 And he did Evil, because he prepared not his Heart to feek the LORD.

15 Now the Acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are ther not written in the Book of Shemaiah the Prophet, and of Iddo the Seer, concerning Genealogies? And there were Wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

16 And Rehoboam flept with his Fathers, and was buried in the City of David; and Abijah his Son reigned in his ftead.

I. KINGS. CHA P. XIII.

1 Feroboam's Hand withereth, 6 and at the Prayer of the Prophet is restored. 23 The disobedient Prophet lain by a Lion.

Ver. 1

A

33 Feroboam's Obstinacy.

came a Man of God out of

ND behold, there
Judah, by the Word of the LORD, unto Beth-el:

and Jeroboam stood by the Altar to burn Incenfe.
2 And he cried against the Altar in the Word of the LORD,
and

and faid, O Altar, Altar, thus faith the LORD, Behold, a Child shall be born unto the House of DAVID, Jofiah by Name, and upon thee shall he offer the Priests of the Highplaces that burn Incense upon thee, and Mens Bones shall be burnt upon thee.

3 And he gave a Sign the fame Day, faying, This is the Sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the Altar shall be rent, and the Ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

4 And it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the Saying of the Man of God, which had cried against the Altar in Beth-el, that he put forth his Hand from the Altar, faying, Lay hold on him. And his Hand which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.

5 The Altar also was rent, and the Ashes poured out from the Altar, according to the Sign which the Man of GOD had given by the Word of the LORD.

6 And the King answered and faid unto the Man of God, Intreat now the Face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my Hand may be restored me again. And the Man of God befought the LORD, and the King's Hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.

7 And the King faid unto the Man of GOD, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a Reward.

8 And the Man of God faid unto the King, If thou wilt give me half thine House, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat Bread nor drink Water in this Place :

9 For so was it charged me by the Word of the LORD, faying, Eat no Bread, nor drink Water, nor turn again by the fame Way that thou camest.

10 So he went another Way, and returned not by the Way that he came to Beth-el.

11 Now there dwelt an old Prophet in Beth-el, and his Sons came and told him all the Works that the Man of God had done that Day in Beth-el: the Words which he had spoken unto the King, them they told also to their Father.

12 And their Father faid unto them, What Way went he? for his Sons had seen what Way the Man of GOD went, which came from Judah.

13 And he said unto his Sons, Saddle me the Afs. So they faddled him the Afs, and he rode thereon,

14 And went after the Man of God, and found him fitting under an Oak; and he said unto him, Art thou the Man of God, that camest from Judah? And he said, I

am.

15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat Bread.

16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat Bread, nor drink Water with thee in this Place.

17 For it was said to me by the Word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no Bread, nor drink Water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.

18 He faid unto him, I am a Prophet also as thou art, and an Angel spake unto me by the Word of the LORD, faying, Bring him back with thee into thine House, that he may eat Bread, and drink Water. But he lied unto him.

19 So he went back with him, and did eat Bread in his House, and drank Water.

20 And it came to pass, as they fat at the Table, that the Word of the Lord came unto the Prophet that brought him back:

21 And he cried unto the Man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus faith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the Mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the Commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee,

22 But camest back, and haft eaten Bread, and drunk Water in the Place of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no Bread, and drink no Water; thy Carcase shall not come unto the Sepulchre of thy Fathers.

23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten Bread, and after he had drunk, that he faddled for him the Afs, to wit, for the Prophet whom he had brought back.

24 And when he was gone, a Lion met him by the Way, and flew him: and his Carcase was cast in the Way, and the Ass stood by it, the Lion also stood by the Carcafe.

25 And behold, Men passed by, and faw the Carcafe caft in the Way, and the Lion standing by the Carcafe: and they came and told it in the City where the old Prophet dwelt.

26 And when the Prophet that brought him back from the Way, heard thereof, he said, It is the Man of GOD, who was disobedient unto the Word of the LORD: there

for

fore the LORD hath delivered him unto the Lion, which hath torn him, and flain him, according to the Word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.

27 And he spake to his Sons, faying, Saddle me the Afs. And they faddled him.

28 And he went and found his Carcase cast in the Way, and the Afs and the Lion standing by the Carcafe: the Lion had not eaten the Carcafe, nor torn the Afs.

29 And the Prophet took up the Carcase of the Man of God, and laid it upon the Ass, and brought it back: and the old Prophet came to the City, to mourn, and to bury him.

30 And he laid his Carcase in his own Grave, and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my Brother.

31 And it came to pass after he had buried him, that he spake to his Sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the Sepulchre wherein the Man of God is buried, lay my Bones befide his Bones.

32 For the Saying, which he cried by the Word of the LORD against the Altar in Beth-el, and against all the Houses of the high Places which are in the Cities of Samaria, shall furely come to pass.

33 After this Thing, Jeroboam returned not from his evil Way, but made again of the lowest of the People, Priests of the high Places: whosoever would, he confecrated him, and he became one of the Priests of the high Places.

34 And this Thing became SIN unto the House of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to DESTROY it from off the Face of the Earth.

CHAP. XIV.

1 Abijah being fick, Feroboam sendeth his Wife disguised, with Presents to the Prophet Abijah at Shiloh. 5 Ahijah forewarned, denounceth God's Judgment. 17 Abijah dieth, and is buried. 21 Rebo

19 Nadab fucceedeth Feroboam. boam's wicked Reign. 25 Shishak spoileth Jerufalem. 29 Abijam fucceedeth Rehoboam.

Ver.1 A

T that Time Abijah the Son of Jehoboam fell fick. 2 And Jeroboam faid to his Wife, Arife, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the Wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh; behold,

there is Ahijah the Prophet, which told me that I should be King over this People.

3 And take with thee ten Loaves, and Cracknels, and a Crufe of Honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what fhall become of the Child.

4 And Jeroboam's Wife did fo, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the House of Ahijah: but Ahijah could not fee, for his Eyes were set by reason of his Age.

5 And the LORD faid unto Ahijah, Behold the Wife of Jeroboam cometh to afk a Thing of thee for her Son, for he is fick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her for it shall be when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another Woman.

6 And it was so when Ahijah heard the Sound of her Feet, as she came in at the Door, that he said, Come in thou Wife of Jeroboam, why feigneft thou thyself to be another? for I am fent to thee with heavy Tidings.

7 Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus faith the Lord GOD of If'rael, Forafmuch as I exalted thee from among the People, and made thee Prince over my People Ifrael,

8 And rent the Kingdom away from the House of David, and gave it thee; and yet thou haft not been as my Servant David, who kept my Commandments, and who followed me with all his Heart, to do that only which was right in mine Eyes.

9 But haft done Evil above all that were before thee: for thou haft gone and made thee other Gods, and molten Images, to provoke me to Anger, and haft cast me behind thy Back :

10 Therefore behold, I will bring Evil upon the House of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pifseth against the Wall, and him that is shut up and left in Ifrael, and will take away the Remnant of the House of Jeroboam, as a Man taketh away Dung, till it be all gone.

11 Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the City shall the Dogs eat: and him that dieth in the Field shall the Fowls of the Air eat for the LORD hath spoken it.

12 Arife thou therefore, get thee to thine own House: and when thy Feet enter into the City, the Child shall die.

13 And all Ifrael shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the Grave, because in him there is found fome good Thing toward the LORD God of Ifrael, in the House of Jeroboam.