²⁹ About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah^(A) the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, ³⁰ and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore^(B) it into twelve pieces. ³¹ Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear^(C) the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes. ³² But for the sake^(D) of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. ³³ I will do this because they have^[a] forsaken me and worshiped^(E) Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked^(F) in obedience to me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees^(G) and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did.

³⁴ “‘But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. ³⁵ I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes. ³⁶ I will give one tribe^(H) to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp^(I) before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. ³⁷ However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule^(J) over all that your heart desires;^(K) you will be king over Israel. ³⁸ If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right^(L) in my eyes by obeying my decrees^(M) and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty^(N) as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. ³⁹ I will humble David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’”

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?^(A) I have been sent to you with bad news. ⁷ Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:^(B) ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler^(C) over my people Israel. ⁸ I tore^(D) 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^(E) in my eyes. ⁹ You have done more evil^(F) than all who lived before you.^(G) You have made for yourself other gods, idols^(H) made of metal; you have aroused^(I) my anger and turned your back on me.^(J)

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

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^(Q) Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they aroused^(R) the Lord’s anger by making Asherah^(S) poles.^{[c] 16} And he will give Israel up because of the sins^(T) Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”