The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

Now whereas my father did burden you with a grieuous yoke, I will yet increase your yoke: my father hath chastised you with roddes, but I will correct you with scourges.

Then Ieroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the King had appointed saying, Come againe to me the third day.

And the King answered them sharply: and King Rehoboam left the counsel of the ancient men,

And spake to them after ye counsell of the yong men, saying, My father made your yoke grieuous, but I wil incease it: my father chastised you with rods, but I will correct you with scourges.

So the king hearkened not vnto the people: for it was the ordinance of God that the Lord might performe his saying, which hee had spoken by Ahiiah the Shilonite to Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat.

So when all Isarael sawe that the King would not heare them, the people answered the King, saying, What portion haue we in Dauid? for we haue none inheritance in the sonue of Ishai. O Israel, euery man to your tents: now see to thine owne house, Dauid. So all Israel departed to their tents.

Howbeit Rehoboam reigned ouer the children of Israel, that dwelt in the cities of Iudah.

Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was ouer the tribute, and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died: then King Rehoboam made speede to get him vp to his charet, to flee to Ierusalem.

And Israel rebelled against the house of Dauid vnto this day.

And when Rehoboam was come to Ierusalem, he gathered of the house of Iudah and Beniamin nine score thousande chosen men of warre to fight against Israel, and to bring the kingdome againe to Rehoboam.

But the worde of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

Speake vnto Rehoboam, the sonne of Salomon King of Iudah, and to all Israel that are in Iudah, and Beniamin, saying,

Thus sayth the Lord, Ye shall not goe vp, nor fight against your brethren: returne euery man to his house: for this thing is done of me. They obeyed therfore the word of the Lord, and returned from going against Ieroboam.

And Rehoboam dwelt in Ierusalem, and buylt strong cities in Iudah.

Hee buylt also Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,

And Beth-zur, and Shoco, and Adullam,

And Gath, and Maresha, and Ziph,

And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,

And Zorah, and Aialon, and Hebron, which were in Iudah and Beniamin, strong cities.

And he repaired the strong holdes and put captaines in them, and store of vitaile, and oyle and wine.

And in all cities he put shieldes and speares, and made them exceeding strong: so Iudah and Beniamin were his.

And the Priests and the Leuites that were in all Israel, resorted vnto him out of all their coastes.

For the Leuites left their suburbes and their possession, and came to Iudah and to Ierusalem: for Ieroboam and his sonnes had cast them out from ministring in the Priestes office vnto the Lord.

And he ordeyned him Priests for the hie places, and for the deuils and for the calues which he had made.

And after the Leuites there came to Ierusalem of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heartes to seeke the Lord God of Israel, to offer vnto the Lord God of their fathers.

So they strengthened the kingdome of Iudah, and made Rehoboam the sonne of Salomon mightie, three yeere long: for three yeere they walked in in the way of Dauid and Salomon.

And Rehoboam tooke him Mahalath ye daughter of Ierimoth the sonne of Dauid to wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the sonne of Ishai,

Which bare him sonnes Ieush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.

And after her he tooke Maakah ye daughter of Absalom which bare him Abiiah, and Atthai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.

And Rehoboam loued Maakah ye daughter of Absalom aboue all his wiues and his concubines: for he tooke eighteene wiues, and three score concubines, and begate eyght and twentie sonnes, and three score daughters.

And Rehoboam made Abiiah the sonne of Maakah the chiefe ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him King.

And he taught him: and dispersed all his sonnes throughout all the countreis of Iudah and Beniamin vnto euery strong citie: and hee gaue them aboundance of vitaile, and desired many wiues.

And when Rehoboam had established the kingdome and made it strong, hee forsooke the Lawe of the Lord, and all Israel with him.

Therefore in the fift yeere of King Rehoboam, Shishak the King of Egypt came vp against Ierusalem (because they had transgressed against the Lord)

With twelue hundreth charets, and three score thousande horsemen, and the people were without nomber, that came with him from Egypt, euen the Lubims, Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.

And he tooke the strong cities which were of Iudah, and came vnto Ierusalem.

Then came Shemaiah the Prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Iudah, that were gathered together in Hierusalem, because of Shishak, and sayde vnto them, Thus sayth the Lord, Ye haue forsaken me, therefore haue I also left you in the handes of Shishak.

Then the princes of Israel, and the King humbled themselues, and sayde, The Lord is iust.

And when the Lord sawe that they humbled themselues, the worde of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They haue humbled theselues, therefore I will not destroy them, but I will sende them deliuerance shortly, and my wrath shall not bee powred out vpon Ierusalem by the hand of Shishak.

Neuerthelesse they shalbe his sernants: so shall they knowe my seruice, and the seruice of the kingdomes of the earth.

Then Shishak King of Egypt came vp against Ierusalem, and tooke the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the Kings house he tooke euen all, and hee caried away the shields of golde, which Salomon had made.

In stead whereof King Rehoboam made shieldes of brasse, and committed them to the handes of the chiefe of the garde, that wayted at the doore of the Kings house.

And when the King entred into the house of the Lord, the garde came and bare them and brought them againe vnto the garde chamber.

And because hee humbled himselfe, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that hee woulde not destroy all together. And also in Iudah the things prospered.

So King Rehoboam was strong in Ierusalem and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and fourtie yere olde, when he began to reigne, and reigned seuenteene yeres in Ierusalem, the citie which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his Name there. And his mothers name was Naamah an Ammonitesse.

And he did euill: for hee prepared not his heart to seeke the Lord.

The actes also of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the booke of Shemaiah the Prophet, and Iddo the Seer, in rehearsing the genealogie? and there was warre alway betweene Rehoboam and Ieroboam.

And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the citie of Dauid, and Abiiah his sonne reigned in his stead.

In the eyghteenth yeere of King Ieroboam began Abiiah to reigne ouer Iudah.

He reigned three yere in Ierusalem: (his mothers name also was Michaiah the daughter of Vriel of Gibea) and there was warre betweene Abiiah and Ieroboam.

And Abiiah set the battel in aray with the armie of valiant men of warre, euen foure hundreth thousand chosen men. Ieroboam also set the battell in aray against him with eight hundreth thousande chosen men which were strong and valiant.

And Abiiah stood vp vpon mount Zemeraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and sayde, O Ieroboam, and all Israel, heare you me,

Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel hath giuen the kingdome ouer Israel to Dauid for euer, euen to him and to his sonnes by a couenant of salt?

And Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat the seruant of Salomon the sonne of Dauid is risen vp, and hath rebelled against his lord:

And there are gathered to him vayne men and wicked, and made themselues strong against Rehoboam the sonne of Salomon: for Rehoboam was but a childe and tender hearted, and coulde not resist them.

Now therefore ye thinke that yee be able to resist against the kingdome of the Lord, which is in the handes of the sonnes of Dauid, and ye bee a great multitude, and the golden calues are with you which Ieroboam made you for gods.

Haue ye not driuen away the Priestes of the Lord the sonnes of Aaron and the Leuites, and haue made you Priests like the people of other countreis? whosoeuer commeth to consecrate with a yong bullocke and seuen rams, the same may be a Priest of them that are no gods.

But wee belong vnto the Lord our God, and haue not forsaken him, and the Priestes the sonnes of Aaron minister vnto the Lord, and the Leuites in their office.

And they burne vnto the Lord euery morning and euery euening burnt offerings and sweete incense, and the breade is set in order vpon the pure table, and the candlesticke of golde with the lampes thereof, to burne euery euening: for we keepe the watch of the Lord our God: but ye haue forsaken him.

And behold, this God is with vs, as a captaine, and his Priests with the sounding trumpets, to crie an alarme against you. O yee children of Israel, fight not against the Lord God of your fathers: for ye shall not prosper.

But Ieroboam caused an ambushment to compasse, and come behind them, when they were before Iudah, and the ambushment behinde them.

Then Iudah looked, and beholde, the battel was before and behinde them, and they cried vnto the Lord, and the Priests blewe with the trumpets,

And the men of Iudah gaue a shoute: and euen as the men of Iudah shouted, God smote Ieroboam and also Israel before Abiiah and Iudah.

And the children of Israel fledde before Iudah, and God deliuered them into their hande.

And Abiiah and his people slewe a great slaughter of them, so that there fel downe wounded of Israel fiue hundreth thousand chosen men.

So the children of Israel were brought vnder at that time: and the children of Iudah preuailed, because they stayed vpon the Lord God of their fathers.

And Abiiah pursued after Ieroboam, and tooke cities from him, euen Beth-el, and the villages thereof, and Ieshanah with her villages, and Ephron with her villages.

And Ieroboam recouered no strength againe in the dayes of Abiiah, but the Lord plagued him, and he dyed.

So Abiiah waxed mightie, and marryed foureteene wiues, and begate two and twentie sonnes, and sixteene daughters.

The rest of the actes of Abiiah and his maners and his sayings are written in the storie of the Prophet Iddo.

So Abiiah slept with his fathers, and they buryed him in the citie of Dauid, and Asa his sonne reigned in his steade: in whose dayes the lande was quiet ten yeere.

And Asa did that was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

For he tooke away the altars of the strange gods and the hie places, and brake downe the images, and cut downe the groues,

And commanded Iudah to seeke the Lord God of their fathers, and to doe according to the Lawe and the comandement.

And he tooke away out of all the cities of Iudah the hie places, and the images: therefore the kingdome was quiet before him.

He built also strong cities in Iudah, because the lande was in rest, and he had no warre in those yeeres: for the Lord had giuen him rest.

Therefore he saide to Iudah, Let vs builde these cities and make walles about, and towers, gates, and barres, whiles the lande is before vs: because we haue sought the Lord our God, we haue sought him, and he hath giuen vs rest on euery side: so they built and prospered.

And Asa had an armie of Iudah that bare shieldes and speares, three hundreth thousande, and of Beniamin that bare shieldes and drewe bowes, two hundreth and foure score thousande: all these were valiant men.

And there came out against them Zerah of Ethiopia with an hoste of ten hundreth thousande, and three hundreth charets, and came vnto Mareshah.

Then Asa went out before him, and they set the battell in aray in the valley of Zephathah beside Mareshah.

And Asa cryed vnto the Lord his God, and saide, Lord, it is nothing with thee to helpe with many, or with no power: helpe vs, O Lord our God: for we rest on thee, and in thy Name are we come against this multitude: O Lord, thou art our God, let not man preuaile against thee.

So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Iudah, and the Ethiopians fled.

And Asa and the people that was with him, pursued them vnto Gerar. And the Ethiopians hoste was ouerthrowen, so that there was no life in them: for they were destroyed before the Lord and before his hoste: and they caryed away a mightie great spoyle.

And they smote all the cities rounde about Gerar: for the feare of the Lord came vpon them, and they spoyled all the cities, for there was exceeding much spoyle in them.

Yea, and they smote the tents of cattel, and carried away plentie of sheepe and camels, and returned to Ierusalem.

Then the Spirite of God came vpon Azariah the sonne of Obed.

And he went out to meete Asa, and said vnto him, O Asa, and all Iudah, and Beniamin, heare ye me. The Lord is with you, while ye be with him: and if ye seeke him, he wil be founde of you, but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

Nowe for a long season Israel hath bene without the true God, and without Priest to teach and without Lawe.

But whosoeuer returned in his affliction to the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was founde of them.

And in that time there was no peace to him, that did goe out and goe in: but great troubles were to all the inhabitants of the earth.

For nation was destroyed of nation, and citie of citie: for God troubled them with all aduersitie.

Be ye strong therefore, and let not your handes be weake: for your worke shall haue a rewarde.

And when Asa heard these wordes, and the prophesie of Obed the Prophet, he was encouraged, and tooke away the abominations out of all the lande of Iudah, and Beniamin, and out of the cities which he had taken of mount Ephraim, and he renued the altar of the Lord, that was before the porche of the Lord.

And he gathered all Iudah and Beniamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for there fell many to him out of Israel, when they sawe that the Lord his God was with him.

So they assembled to Ierusalem in the third moneth, in the fifteenth yere of the reigne of Asa.

And they offred vnto the Lord the same time of the spoyle, which they had brought, euen seuen hundreth bullockes, and seuen thousande sheepe.

And they made a couenant to seeke the Lord God of their fathers, with all their heart, and with all their soule.

And whosoeuer will not seeke the Lord God of Israel, shalbe slaine, whether he were small or great, man or woman.

And they sware vnto the Lord with a loude voyce, and with shouting and with trumpets, and with cornets.

And all Iudah reioyced at the othe: for they had sworne vnto the Lord with all their heart, and sought him with a whole desire, and he was founde of them. And the Lord gaue them rest rounde about.