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2 Samuel 8

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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¹ Jeroboam [doubted God's promise to him and] said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.

² If these people go up to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, then their heart will turn to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."

³ So the king took counsel [and followed bad advice] and made two[7] calves of gold. And he said to the people, "It is too much for you to go [all the way] up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt."

⁴ He set the one [golden calf] in Bethel, and the other he put in[8] Dan.

⁵ Now this thing became a sin [for Israel]; because the people went to worship before the one [or the other of them] as far as Dan.

⁶ And Jeroboam also made houses on high places, and he made priests from[9] all people who were not of the sons (descendants) of Levi.

⁷ Jeroboam held a feast on the fifteenth day of the[10] eighth month, like the feast which is kept in Judah, and he went up to the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

⁸ So he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart [in defiance of God's commandments]; and he held a feast for the Israelites and he went up to the altar to burn[11] incense [in defiance of God's law.]

⁹ Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word (command) of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar [which he had built] to burn incense.

¹⁰ The man cried out against the [idolatrous] altar by the word of the LORD, "O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: 'Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David,[1] Josiah by name; and on you shall he sacrifice [the bodies of] the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.'"

¹¹ And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: 'Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.'"

¹² When the king heard the words which the man of God cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, "Seize him!" And his hand which he had put out against him withered, so that he was unable to pull it back to himself.

¹³ The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar in accordance with the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

¹⁴ The king answered and said to the man of God, "Please entreat [the favor of] the LORD your God and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it was before.

¹⁵ And the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward."

¹⁶ But the man of God said to the king, "Even if you were to give me half your house (wealth), I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.

¹⁷ For I was commanded by the word of the LORD, 'You shall not eat bread or drink water, nor shall you return by the way you came.'"

¹⁸ So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.

#	AMP
1	Jeroboam [doubted God's promise to him and] said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.
2	If these people go up to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, then their heart will turn to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah."
3	So the king took counsel [and followed bad advice] and made two[7] calves of gold. And he said to the people, "It is too much for you to go [all the way] up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt."
4	He set the one [golden calf] in Bethel, and the other he put in[8] Dan.
5	Now this thing became a sin [for Israel]; because the people went to worship before the one [or the other of them] as far as Dan.
6	And Jeroboam also made houses on high places, and he made priests from[9] all people who were not of the sons (descendants) of Levi.
7	Jeroboam held a feast on the fifteenth day of the[10] eighth month, like the feast which is kept in Judah, and he went up to the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
8	So he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart [in defiance of God's commandments]; and he held a feast for the Israelites and he went up to the altar to burn[11] incense [in defiance of God's law.]
9	Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word (command) of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar [which he had built] to burn incense.
10	The man cried out against the [idolatrous] altar by the word of the LORD, "O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: 'Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David,[1] Josiah by name; and on you shall he sacrifice [the bodies of] the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.'"
11	And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: 'Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.'"
12	When the king heard the words which the man of God cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, "Seize him!" And his hand which he had put out against him withered, so that he was unable to pull it back to himself.
13	The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar in accordance with the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
14	The king answered and said to the man of God, "Please entreat [the favor of] the LORD your God and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it was before.
15	And the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward."
16	But the man of God said to the king, "Even if you were to give me half your house (wealth), I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.
17	For I was commanded by the word of the LORD, 'You shall not eat bread or drink water, nor shall you return by the way you came.'"
18	So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.

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2 Samuel 8

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