Ahijah

26Jeroboam son of Nebat was from Zeredah, in the land of Ephraim. His mother was a widow named Zeruah. He worked for Solomon, but he turned against the king.

And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.

NoteEphraim was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. A widow is a woman whose husband has died. The King James says Jeroboam "lifted up his hand against the king." That means he fought back against his own king.

27Here is why he turned against the king. Solomon had built the Millo. He had also fixed the broken places in the wall of David's city.

And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father.

NoteThe Millo was a huge stack of stone in Jerusalem. It held up the ground so buildings could stand on the hill. The city of David was the oldest part of Jerusalem. David had taken it and made it his home.

28Jeroboam was a strong and brave man. Solomon saw that the young man worked hard. So he put Jeroboam in charge of all the workers from Joseph's family group.

And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.

NoteThe King James calls him "a mighty man of valour," meaning strong and brave. The house of Joseph means the families who came from Joseph. Solomon put Jeroboam over their work crews for the king's building.

29One day Jeroboam was walking out of Jerusalem. Ahijah from Shiloh met him on the road. Ahijah had put on a new coat. The two men were alone in an open field.

And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:

NoteAhijah was a prophet. A prophet is a person who tells others what God says. He came from Shiloh, a town where Israel had worshiped long before.

30Ahijah took hold of the new coat he was wearing. He tore it into twelve pieces.

And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:

NoteProphets sometimes acted out a message instead of only saying it. Twelve pieces stood for the twelve tribes of Israel. Tearing the coat showed the kingdom being torn apart.

31He said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself. The LORD, the God of Israel, says this: 'I will tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand. I will give ten tribes to you.'"

And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

32"'But one tribe will stay with Solomon's family. I do this for David my servant. I also do it for Jerusalem, the city I chose out of all Israel.'"

(But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)

NoteThe one tribe was Judah, the tribe David came from. Jerusalem was in that tribe's land.

33"'They have left me. They have worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of Sidon, and Chemosh, the god of Moab, and Milcom, the god of Ammon. They have not lived my way. They have not done what is right to me. They have not kept my rules, the way David did.'"

Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

34"'Even so, I will not take the whole kingdom from Solomon. I will let him rule all his life. I do this for David my servant, whom I chose. David kept my commands and my rules.'"

Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:

35"'But I will take the kingdom from his son. I will give ten tribes to you.'"

But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.

36"'I will give his son one tribe. Then David my servant will always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem. That is the city I chose for my name.'"

And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.

NoteA lamp that keeps burning was a picture of a family going on. It means someone from David's family would keep being king. "To put my name there" means the city belonged to God in a special way.

37"'I will take you and make you king over Israel. You will rule over all that you want.'"

And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.

38"'Listen to everything I tell you. Live my way and do what is right to me. Keep my rules and my commands, as David my servant did. Then I will be with you. I will make your family strong, as I did for David. And I will give Israel to you.'"

And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.

NoteThe King James says God will build him "a sure house." House here does not mean a building. It means a family, with sons who become kings after him.

39"'Because of this, I will bring trouble on David's family. But the trouble will not last forever.'"

And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.

NoteThe King James says "the seed of David." Seed means his children, and their children after them.

40So Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam ran away to Egypt, to King Shishak. He stayed there until Solomon died.

Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

NoteShishak was the king of Egypt at that time. Egypt was far away, so Jeroboam would be safe there.

1At that time, Jeroboam's son Abijah got sick.

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.

NoteJeroboam was king of Israel, the northern part of God's people. The southern part was called Judah and had its own king.

2Jeroboam said to his wife, "Please get up and dress so no one knows you are my wife. Go to the town of Shiloh. Ahijah lives there. He is a prophet, someone who tells people what God says. He told me I would be king."

And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, 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.

NoteA prophet was a person God gave messages to. People went to a prophet to ask what would happen. Shiloh was a town in the north where people had long gone to worship God.

3"Take him ten loaves of bread, some little cakes, and a jar of honey. He will tell you what will happen to our boy."

And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child.

NotePeople almost always brought food or a gift when they asked a prophet for help. The bread and honey were her gift.

4Jeroboam's wife did what he said. She went to Shiloh, to Ahijah's house. Ahijah could not see anymore. He was old, and his eyes had gone dim.

And Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.

5But the LORD had told Ahijah, "Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask about her son. He is sick. Tell her what I tell you. She will come dressed like someone else."

And the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: 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.

6Ahijah heard her feet at the door. He said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you dressed like someone else? I have hard news to give you."

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 feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.

7"Go and tell Jeroboam that the LORD, the God of Israel, says this: I picked you out from the people. I made you the leader of my people Israel."

Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel,

8"I took the kingdom away from David's family and gave it to you. But you have not been like my servant David. He obeyed my commands. He followed me with his whole heart. He did only what was right in my eyes."

And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast 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;

NoteDavid was Israel's most loved king long before. "The house of David" means David's family. God had taken most of the tribes away from David's family and given them to Jeroboam.

9"You have done worse than everyone before you. You made other gods for yourself. You made metal statues, and that made me angry. You threw me away behind your back."

But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:

NotePeople melted metal and poured it into shapes to make statues of other gods. Then they bowed down to them. Throwing something behind your back means acting like it does not matter at all.

10"So I will bring trouble on Jeroboam's family. I will cut off every male in his family in Israel, both slave and free. I will sweep his family away, like a man sweeping away dung until none is left."

Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.

NoteThe old King James words here are rough farm words. They simply mean every boy and man in Jeroboam's family. Dung is animal droppings. People swept it out of the yard and got rid of it, and none was kept.

11"Dogs will eat anyone from Jeroboam's family who dies in the city. Birds will eat anyone who dies out in the fields. The LORD has said it."

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.

NoteBack then, being buried was very important. To be left in the open for dogs and birds was the saddest, most shameful end a person could have.

12"Now get up and go home. The moment your feet enter the city, the boy will die."

Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.

13"All Israel will cry for him and bury him. He is the only one of Jeroboam's family who will get a proper grave. In him the LORD, the God of Israel, found something good."

And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

NoteTo mourn is to cry and be sad together because someone has died. A proper grave meant the family buried him with care and honor.

14"The LORD will also raise up a king over Israel. That king will put an end to Jeroboam's family. This is the day. It is happening now."

Moreover the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now.

15"The LORD will strike Israel. They will shake like a reed in water. He will pull Israel up out of this good land he gave their fathers. He will scatter them far past the river. They made poles to worship other gods, and that made the LORD angry."

For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.

NoteA reed is a tall thin plant that grows in water. It bends and shakes with every little wave. The river is the Euphrates, far away to the north and east. The poles were tall wooden posts people stood up to worship a god called Asherah.

16"He will give Israel up because of the sins Jeroboam did. Jeroboam led Israel to sin too."

And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

17Jeroboam's wife got up and left. She went to the town of Tirzah. As she stepped over the doorway of her house, the boy died.

And Jeroboam’s wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died;

NoteTirzah was the town in the north where Jeroboam lived. The doorway she stepped over was the stone step at the front of the house.

18They buried him, and all Israel cried for him. It happened just as the LORD had said through his servant Ahijah the prophet.

And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet.

27Baasha, son of Ahijah, was from the family group of Issachar. He made a secret plan against Nadab. He killed Nadab at Gibbethon, a Philistine town. Nadab and all Israel were surrounding that town to take it.

And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.

NoteThe Philistines were a people who lived by the sea. They often fought against Israel. Surrounding a town means the army camps all around it. No food can get in, so the people give up.

28Baasha killed Nadab in the third year that Asa was king of Judah. Then Baasha became king in Nadab's place.

Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.

29As soon as Baasha was king, he killed everyone in Jeroboam's family. He did not leave one person alive who was breathing. This happened just as the LORD had said it would. God had said it through his servant Ahijah from Shiloh.

And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite:

NoteAhijah was a prophet, someone who told people what God said. He came from a town called Shiloh.

30This happened because of the sins Jeroboam did. He also led the people of Israel to sin. His sins made the LORD, the God of Israel, angry.

Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.