turned away from him, to make good his word, which he had spoken in the
hand of Ahias, the Silonite, to Jeroboam, the son of Nabat.

12:16. Then the people, seeing that the king would not hearken to them,
answered him, saying: What portion have we in David? or what inheritance
in the son of Isai? Go home to thy dwellings, O Israel: now, David, look
to thy own house. So Israel departed to their dwellings.

12:17. But as for all the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of
Juda, Roboam reigned over them.

12:18. Then king Roboam sent Aduram, who was over the tribute: and all
Israel stoned him, and he died. Wherefore king Roboam made haste to get
him up into his chariot, and he fled to Jerusalem:

12:19. And Israel revolted from the house of David, unto this day.

12:20. And it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come
again, that they gathered an assembly, and sent and called him, and made
him king over all Israel, and there was none that followed the house of
David but the tribe of Juda only.

Juda only... Benjamin was a small tribe, and so intermixed with the
tribe of Juda, (the very city of Jerusalem being partly in Juda, partly
in Benjamin,) that they are here counted but as one tribe.

12:21. And Roboam came to Jerusalem, and gathered together all the house
of Juda, and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred fourscore thousand chosen
men for war, to fight against the house of Israel, and to bring the
kingdom again under Roboam, the son of Solomon.

12:22. But the word of the Lord came to Semeias, the man of God, saying:

12:23. Speak to Roboam, the son of Solomon, the king of Juda, and to all
the house of Juda, and Benjamin, and the rest of the people, saying:

12:24. Thus saith the Lord: You shall not go up, nor fight against your
brethren, the children of Israel: let every man return to his house, for
this thing is from me. They hearkened to the word of the Lord, and
returned from their journey, as the Lord had commanded them.

12:25. And Jeroboam built Sichem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt there, and
going out from thence, he built Phanuel.

12:26. And Jeroboam said in his heart: Now shall the kingdom return to
the house of David,

12:27. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord
at Jerusalem: and the heart of this people will turn to their lord
Roboam, the king of Juda, and they will kill me, and return to him.

12:28. And finding out a device, he made two go