1 Kings 14

1 At that time [before a specific event, during a particular period] Abijah [the father is Jehovah, a king of Judah] son [descendant, offspring] of Jeroboam [the people will contend, a king of Israel] became ill [fell sick, was weak], word study 2 and Jeroboam [the people will contend] said to his wife [woman, female partner], “Now get up [rise, stand], disguise [change, conceal] yourself so they will not recognize [know, ascertain] you as my wife [woman, partner], and go [walk, proceed] to Shiloh [place of rest]. For [because, since] Ahijah [brother of Jehovah] the prophet [one who speaks for God] is there [in that place]; it was he [the one, himself] who spoke [communicated, declared] about my kingship [royal authority, reign] over this people [nation, community]. word study 3 Take with you ten loaves of bread [food, especially grain], some [small, broken pieces] cakes [crumbly, dry biscuits], and a jar [flask, container for liquids] of honey [a sweet, valuable food], and go [approach, come near] to him. He [the prophet, a spokesperson for God] will tell [declare openly, reveal] you what [in what manner, to what extent] will become [happen, come to be] of the boy [youth, a young person, from infancy to adolescence].” word study 4 Jeroboam’s wife [the woman, female partner] did as instructed; she arose [stood up, rose to action] and went to Shiloh [place of rest, a city of worship] and arrived at Ahijah’s [brother of Jehovah, a prophet] house. Now Ahijah could not see [was unable to perceive, had lost his physical sight], for his eyes [sources of vision, windows to the soul] were dim [had become weak, set by reason of age] because of his age [old age, a time of life characterized by gray hair and wisdom]. word study 5 But the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] had said to Ahijah [brother of Jehovah], “Behold [look, take notice], the wife [female, woman] of Jeroboam [the people will contend] is coming [approaching, drawing near] to ask [inquire, seek] you about her son [child, descendant], for he is ill [sick, weak]. You are to say [speak, communicate] such and such [thus and thus] to her, because when she arrives [comes in, enters], she will be disguised [feign herself to be another woman, pretend to be someone else].” word study 6 So when Ahijah [the prophet, brother of Jehovah] heard the sound [voice, noise] of her feet [steps, footsteps] entering the door [entrance, doorway], he said, “Come in, wife [woman, spouse] of Jeroboam [the king who contended with God]! Why are you disguised [feigning to be another, pretending] [to be someone else, in secrecy]? For I have been sent [appointed, commissioned] to you with bad news [heavy tidings, severe words, a harsh message]. word study 7 Go, tell Jeroboam [the people will contend] that this is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], the God [Elohim, the supreme God] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants], says: ‘I raised you up [exalted, lifted up] from among the people [a nation, a group of individuals] and appointed you ruler [leader, commander] over My people [My nation, those who belong to Me] Israel [the descendants of Jacob]. word study 8 I tore [rent, took away by force] the kingdom away from the house [dynasty, family] of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant [faithful follower, bondslave] David, who kept [obeyed, guarded] My commandments [laws, instructions] and followed Me with all his heart [with complete devotion, sincerely], doing only what was right [just, pleasing] in My eyes [sight, judgment]. word study 9 You have done more evil [above all, exceeding] than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make [crafted, fashioned] for yourself other gods [idols, false deities] and molten images [cast metal idols, liquid idols] to provoke Me [to anger, wrath], and you have flung [cast, thrown] Me behind your back [afterwards, turning away]. word study 10 Because of all this, behold [look, pay attention], I am bringing disaster [evil, calamity] on the house [family, dynasty] of Jeroboam: I will cut off [destroy, eliminate] from Jeroboam every male [man, every man-child], both slave [servant, bondservant] and free [noble, unrestricted], in Israel [the people of God, Jacob’s descendants]; I will burn up [consume, utterly destroy] the house of Jeroboam as one burns up [sweeps away, removes] dung [waste, refuse] until it is gone [completely destroyed, finished]! word study 11 Anyone belonging to Jeroboam [the people will contend, a king of Israel] who dies [to die, either literally or as a punishment] in the city [a place with a wall or a watchman] will be eaten by dogs [despised or considered lowly], and anyone who dies in the field [a flat area of land used for cultivation] will be eaten by the birds [fowl of the air] of the air [the visible universe and the abode of God].’ For the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] has spoken [to communicate or promise]. word study 12 As for you [the one being addressed], get up [rise, stand] and go home [to your house, dwelling place]. When your feet [the lowest part of the leg] enter [come into, arrive at] the city [a populated area, a town], the child [youth, young one] will die [cease to live, expire, as a punishment from God]. word study 13 All [the entire nation of] Israel will mourn [lament, weep] for him and bury [inter, lay to rest] him. For this is the only one [alone, the sole individual] belonging to Jeroboam who will receive [be given, experience] a proper [honorable, respectful] burial, because only in him has the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God], the God [Elohim, the supreme deity] of Israel, found [discovered, seen] any [some, a measure of] good [pleasant, beneficial, righteous] in the house [family, dynasty] of Jeroboam. word study 14 Moreover, the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] will raise up [stir up, appoint] for Himself a king [royal ruler, monarch] over Israel [the descendants of Jacob] who will cut off [destroy, eliminate] the house [family, dynasty] of Jeroboam [the people will contend]. This is the day [this specific time, moment]—yes, even today! word study 15 For the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] will strike [smite, inflict punishment upon] Israel as a reed [branch] is shaken [moved back and forth, tossed about] in the water [a source of refreshment and instability]. He will uproot [tear away, remove completely] Israel from this good [pleasant, beneficial] land that He gave their fathers [ancestors, forefathers], and He will scatter [disperse, toss about] them beyond the Euphrates [a river, a flood], because they have made [constructed, fashioned] their Asherah poles [a wooden pole or grove of the goddess Asherah], provoking [angering, offending] the LORD to anger [wrath, intense displeasure]. word study 16 So He will give [abandon, surrender] Israel [the descendants of Jacob] over on account of [because of, due to] the sins [transgressions, rebellions] Jeroboam [the king who led Israel to sin] has committed [done, perpetrated] and has caused [led, induced] Israel [God’s chosen people] to commit [sin, disobey].” word study 17 Then Jeroboam’s wife [the woman, eshet] got up [rose, stood up] and departed [walked, went away] for Tirzah [the city, a place of beauty], and as soon as she stepped [came, entered] over the threshold [basin, door sill] of the house [the dwelling place], the boy [youth, a young person] died [passed away, met]. word study 18 And they buried [laid to rest, interred] him, and all [every single one, the entire nation] Israel mourned [lamented, expressed deep sorrow] for him, according to the word [divine message, prophetic utterance] that the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] had spoken [communicated, declared] through His servant [faithful attendant, messenger] Ahijah [brother of Jehovah, prophet] the prophet [one who speaks for God]. word study 19 As for the rest [remainder, what is left] of the acts [deeds, events] of Jeroboam [the people will contend], how he waged [engaged in, fought] war [battle, conflict] and how he reigned [ruled, governed], they are indeed written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book [scroll, written document] of the Chronicles [history, accounts] of the Kings [rulers, monarchs] of Israel [God’s chosen people]. word study 20 And the length [duration, period of time] of Jeroboam’s [the people will contend] reign [to rule, have dominion] was twenty-two [two and twenty] years, and he rested [to lie down, sleep] with [together, in company] his fathers [ancestors, progenitors], and his son [descendant, offspring] Nadab [generous, noble] reigned [to rule, have authority] in his place [stead, position]. word study 21 Meanwhile, Rehoboam [son and successor] son of Solomon reigned [ruled as king] in Judah [the southern kingdom of Israel]. He was forty-one years old [at the beginning of his reign, forty and one years old] when he became king, and he reigned [exercised royal authority] seventeen years in Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Judah], the city [the chosen center of worship] the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] had chosen [selected and appointed] from all the tribes of Israel [the twelve tribes descended from Jacob] in which to put His Name [to establish His presence and glory]. His mother’s name was Naamah [the Ammonite woman, from the land of Ammon] the Ammonite. word study 22 And Judah [the tribe descended from Jacob’s son] did evil [wickedness, morally bad] in the sight [presence, awareness] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], and by the sins [guilt, punishment for sin] they committed [made, done] they provoked [stirred up, enflamed] Him to jealous [zealous, envious] anger [wrath, indignation] more than all [everything, the entirety] their fathers [ancestors, predecessors] had done [made, committed]. word study 23 They also [even, too] built for themselves high places [cultic platforms, mountain shrines], sacred pillars [memorials, monuments], and Asherah poles [a wooden pole or grove of the goddess Asherah] on every high hill [elevated area] and under every green [fresh, luxuriant] tree. word study 24 There were even [cult, temple] male shrine prostitutes [sodomites, used for idolatrous purposes] in the land [the territory, the earth]. They imitated [followed, did according to] all [every, the entirety of] the abominations [disgusting, detestable practices] of the nations [Gentiles, non-Hebrew peoples] the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] had driven out [dispossessed, cast out] before [in the presence of, from the face of] the Israelites [sons of Israel, descendants of Jacob]. word study 25 In the fifth [as numbered from the beginning of his reign] year of Rehoboam’s [King’s, royal authority] reign, Shishak [an Egyptian king, ruler of a powerful nation] king of [the land of] Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa] came up [to ascend, go up] and attacked [went up against, waged war on] Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Judah]. word study 26 He seized the treasures [stored wealth, riches] of the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] and of the royal [king’s, sovereign] palace. He took everything [all, the whole], including all the gold [valuable, precious] shields [protective devices, defensive armor] that Solomon [a king of Israel] had made [created, fashioned]. word study 27 Then King [ruler, monarch] Rehoboam [son of Solomon, king of Judah] made [to create, fashion] bronze [copper, brass] shields [protective devices, defense] in their place [underneath, instead of] and committed [to entrust, assign] them to the care [charge, responsibility] of the captains [leaders, commanders] of the guard [armed men, protectors] on duty [watch, service] at the entrance [doorway, gate] to the royal [king’s, sovereign] palace [house, dwelling]. word study 28 And whenever the king [the ruler, monarch] entered [went into, approached] the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], the guards [armed men, runners] would bear [lift, carry] the shields [body-covers, protective devices], and later [afterwards, subsequently] they would return [bring back, restore] them to the guardroom [chamber, armory]. word study 29 As for the rest [remainder, what is left] of the acts [deeds, events] of Rehoboam [the king of Judah, son of Solomon], along with all [everything, the entirety] that he did [accomplished, made], are they not [is it not the case] written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book [scroll, written document] of the Chronicles [history, accounts] of the Kings [rulers, monarchs] of Judah [the tribe, the region]? word study 30 There was [continual, ongoing] war [battle, conflict] between [throughout the reign of] Rehoboam [son of Solomon, king of Judah] and Jeroboam [the people will contend, king of Israel] throughout [all, during the entirety of] their days [years, lifetime]. word study 31 And Rehoboam rested [slept, died] with his fathers [ancestors, predecessors] and was buried [interred, laid to rest] with them in the City of David [the town of Jerusalem, the capital]; his mother’s name was Naamah [the Ammonite woman, descendant of Lot] the Ammonite. And his son [descendant, heir] Abijam [also known as Abijah] reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position]. word study