Daily Bread

Ahijah’s Prophecy Against Jeroboam

14 At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, ² and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go, disguise yourself, so you won’t be recognized as the wife of Jeroboam. Then go to Shiloh. Ahijah^(A) the prophet is there—the one who told me I would be king over this people. ³ Take ten loaves of bread^(B) with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.” ⁴ So Jeroboam’s wife did what he said and went to Ahijah’s house in Shiloh.

Now Ahijah could not see; his sight was gone because of his age. ⁵ But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill, and you are to give her such and such an answer. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else.”

⁶ So when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense?^(C) I have been sent to you with bad news. ⁷ Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:^(D) ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler^(E) over my people Israel. ⁸ I tore^(F) the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right^(G) in my eyes. ⁹ You have done more evil^(H) than all who lived before you.^(I) You have made for yourself other gods, idols^(J) made of metal; you have aroused^(K) my anger and turned your back on me.^(L)

¹⁰ “‘Because of this, I am going to bring disaster^(M) on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free.^[a](N) I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone.^{(O) 11} Dogs^(P) will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds^(Q) will feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has spoken!’

¹² “As for you, go back home. When you set foot in your city, the boy will die. ¹³ All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will be buried, because he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, has found anything good.^(R)

¹⁴ “The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will cut off the family of Jeroboam. Even now this is beginning to happen.^{[b] 15} And the Lord will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot^(S) Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they aroused^(T) the Lord’s anger by making Asherah^(U) poles.^{[c] 16} And he will give Israel up because of the sins^(V) Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”

¹⁷ Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and left and went to Tirzah.^(W) As soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died. ¹⁸ They buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, as the Lord had said through his servant the prophet Ahijah.

¹⁹ The other events of Jeroboam’s reign, his wars and how he ruled, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel. ²⁰ He reigned for twenty-two years and then rested with his ancestors. And Nadab his son succeeded him as king.