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

9 So Shifhak King of Egypt came up against Jerufalem, and took away the Treafures of the Houfe of the LORD, and the Treasures of the King's Houfe, he took all he carried away alfo the Shields of Gold which Solomon had made.

10 Inftead of which, King Rehoboam made Shields of Brafs, 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 alfo in Judah Things went well.

13 So King Rehoboam ftrengthned himself in Jerufalem, and reigned for Rehoboam was one and forty Years old when he began to reign, and he reigned feventeen 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 Ammonitess.

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 they 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. KING S. CHA P. XIII.

1 Jeroboam's Hand withereth, 6 and at the Prayer of the Prophet is refiored. 23 The disobedient Prophet flain by a Lion. 33 Jeroboam's Obftinacy.

ND behold, there came a Man of GoD out of

Ver. Judah, by the Word of the LORD, unto Beth-el:

and Jeroboam ftood 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 fhall be born unto the Houfe of DAVID, Jofiah by Name, and upon thee fhall he offer the Priefts of the Highplaces that burn Incense upon thee, and Mens Bones fhall 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 fhall be rent, and the Ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

4 And it came to pafs 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, fo that he could not pull it in again to him.

5 The Altar alfo was rent, and the Afhes 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 reftored 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 thy felf, and I will give thee a Reward.

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

9 For fo 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 cameft.

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

I 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 fpoken unto the King, them they told alfo to their Fa

ther.

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

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

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14 And

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

am.

15 Then he faid 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 faid 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 cameft.

18 He faid unto him, I am a Prophet also as thou art, and an Angel fpake unto me by the Word of the LORD, faying, Bring him back with thee into thine Houfe, 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 pafs, 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, faying, Thus faith the LORD, Forafmuch as thou haft difobeyed the Mouth of the LORD, and haft not kept the Commandment which the LORD thy GOD commanded thee,

22 But cameft back, and haft eaten Bread, and drunk Water in the Place of the which the LORD did fay 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 pafs, 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 caft in the Way, and the Afs ftood by it, the Lion also stood by the Carcafe.

25 And behold, Men paffed by, and faw the Carcase caft in the Way, and the Lion ftanding 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 faid, It is the Man of GOD, who was difobedient 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 fpake 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 Carcafe caft 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 Carcafe of the Man of GOD, and laid it upon the Afs, and brought it back and the old Prophet came to the City, to mourn, and to bury him.

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

31 And it came to pass after he had buried him, that he fpake to his Sons, faying, 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 Houfes 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 loweft of the People, Priefts of the high Places: whofoever would, he confecrated Kim, and he became one of the Priests of the high Places.

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

CHAP. XIV.

【 Abijah being fick, Jeroboam Sendeth his Wife disguised, with Prefents to the Prophet Abijah at Shiloh. 5 Ahijah forewarned, denounceth GOD's Judgment. 17 Abijah dieth, and is buried. 19 Nadab fucceedeth Jeroboam. 21 Reboboam's wicked Reign. 25 Shishak Spoileth Jerufalem. 29 λbijam fucceedeth Rehoboam.

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Ver. 1 AT that Time Abijah the Son of Jehoboam fell fick. 2 And Jeroboam faid to his Wife, Arife, I pray thee, and difguife thyfelf, that thou be not known to be the Wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh; behold,

there

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

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

4 And Jeroboam's Wife did fo, and arofe, and went to Shiloh, and came to the Houfe of Ahijah: but Ahijah could not fee, for his Eyes were fet by reafon 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 fhalt thou fay unto her for it fhall be when the cometh in, that fhe fhall feign herself to be another Woman.

6 And it was fo when Ahijah heard the Sound of her Feet, as he 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 caft me behind thy Back:

10 Therefore behold, I will bring Evil upon the Houfe of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that piffeth against the Wall, and him that is thut 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 fhall the Dogs cat and him that dieth in the Field fhall 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 fhall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam fhall come to the Grave, because in him there is found fome good Thing toward the LORD GOD of Ifrael, in the Houfe of Jeroboam.

14 Moreover

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