Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the inferior priests and the keepers of the door, to bring out of the temple of the LORD, all the vessels that were made for Baal and for the grove and for all the host of heaven. And he burnt them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried the ashes of them into Bethel.

And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer, and cried against the altar at the commandment of the LORD and said, "Altar, altar, thus sayeth the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born of the house of David, Josiah by name, which upon thee shall offer the priests of the hill altars that sacrifice upon thee, and shall burn men's bones upon thee.'" And he gave them the same time a sign, saying, "This is the sign, of that the LORD hath promised: Behold, the altar shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out." read more.
And when the king heard the saying of the man of God which he cried against the altar in Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar saying, "Hold him." And his hand, which he put forth toward him, dried up that he could not pull it in again to him; and the altar clave and the ashes ran out of the altar according to the token which the man of God had given at the commandment of the LORD. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, "Oh pray unto the LORD thy God and make intercession for me, that my hand may be restored me again." And the man of God besought the LORD, and his hand came to him again as well as before.

For the saying which he cried at the bidding of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of hill altars which are in the cities of Samaria, shall come to pass."

Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, the hill altar made by Jeroboam the son of Nebat which made Israel sin - both the altar and also the hill - he brake down and burnt the hill and stamped it to powder, and burnt the grove. And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the graves that were in the mount and sent and fetched the bones out of the graves and burnt them upon the altar and polluted it according to the word of the LORD that the man of God had proclaimed, which openly had denounced the same things. Then the king said, "What meaneth yonder grave stone that I see?" And the men of the city told him, "It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah and openly denounced the selfsame things that thou hast done to the altar of Bethel." read more.
And he said, "Let him be: see that no man move his bones." And so his bones escaped with the bones of a Prophet that came out of Samaria. And thereto all the houses of the hill altars of the cities of Samaria which the kings of Israel had made, to anger withal, Josiah put out of the way and did to them in all points as he did in Bethel. And he sacrificed all the priests of the hill altars that were there, even upon the altars, and burnt men's bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.

'That when I begin to visit the wickedness of Israel, I will visit the altars at Bethel also: so that the horns of the alter shall be broken off, and fall to the ground.


For the saying which he cried at the bidding of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of hill altars which are in the cities of Samaria, shall come to pass."

And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, like as Israel was ashamed of Bethel, wherein she put her trust.

And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer, and cried against the altar at the commandment of the LORD and said, "Altar, altar, thus sayeth the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born of the house of David, Josiah by name, which upon thee shall offer the priests of the hill altars that sacrifice upon thee, and shall burn men's bones upon thee.'" And he gave them the same time a sign, saying, "This is the sign, of that the LORD hath promised: Behold, the altar shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out." read more.
And when the king heard the saying of the man of God which he cried against the altar in Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar saying, "Hold him." And his hand, which he put forth toward him, dried up that he could not pull it in again to him; and the altar clave and the ashes ran out of the altar according to the token which the man of God had given at the commandment of the LORD.

Thy calf, O Samaria, shall be taken away, for my wrathful indignation is gone forth against thee. How long will it be, before they can be cleansed? For the calf came from Israel; the workman made it: therefore can it be no God, but even to a spider's web shall the calf of Samaria be turned.

They that dwell in Samaria have worshiped the calf of Bethaven: therefore shall the people mourn over them, yea and the priests also, that in their wealthiness rejoiced with them. And why? It shall pass away from them. It shall be brought to the Assyrians for a present unto king Jareb. Ephraim shall receive full punishment; Israel shall be confounded for his own imaginations;


And Jeroboam made a feast the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like unto the feast that was in Judah, and offered on the altar. And so did he in Bethel, to offer unto the calves that he had made. And he put in Bethel the priests of the hill altars, which he had made.

And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer,


And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer, and cried against the altar at the commandment of the LORD and said, "Altar, altar, thus sayeth the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born of the house of David, Josiah by name, which upon thee shall offer the priests of the hill altars that sacrifice upon thee, and shall burn men's bones upon thee.'" And he gave them the same time a sign, saying, "This is the sign, of that the LORD hath promised: Behold, the altar shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out."


And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer, and cried against the altar at the commandment of the LORD and said, "Altar, altar, thus sayeth the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born of the house of David, Josiah by name, which upon thee shall offer the priests of the hill altars that sacrifice upon thee, and shall burn men's bones upon thee.'" And he gave them the same time a sign, saying, "This is the sign, of that the LORD hath promised: Behold, the altar shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out." read more.
And when the king heard the saying of the man of God which he cried against the altar in Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar saying, "Hold him." And his hand, which he put forth toward him, dried up that he could not pull it in again to him; and the altar clave and the ashes ran out of the altar according to the token which the man of God had given at the commandment of the LORD. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, "Oh pray unto the LORD thy God and make intercession for me, that my hand may be restored me again." And the man of God besought the LORD, and his hand came to him again as well as before.


And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer, and cried against the altar at the commandment of the LORD and said, "Altar, altar, thus sayeth the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born of the house of David, Josiah by name, which upon thee shall offer the priests of the hill altars that sacrifice upon thee, and shall burn men's bones upon thee.'" And he gave them the same time a sign, saying, "This is the sign, of that the LORD hath promised: Behold, the altar shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out." read more.
And when the king heard the saying of the man of God which he cried against the altar in Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar saying, "Hold him." And his hand, which he put forth toward him, dried up that he could not pull it in again to him; and the altar clave and the ashes ran out of the altar according to the token which the man of God had given at the commandment of the LORD. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, "Oh pray unto the LORD thy God and make intercession for me, that my hand may be restored me again." And the man of God besought the LORD, and his hand came to him again as well as before. Then said the king unto the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward." But the man of God answered the king, "If thou wouldest give me half thine house, I would not go with thee - neither would I eat meat or drink water in this place. For so was it charged me, through the word of God and said to me, 'Eat no bread nor drink water nor turn again by the same way thou wentest." And so he went another way and returned not by the way he came to Bethel.


And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer, and cried against the altar at the commandment of the LORD and said, "Altar, altar, thus sayeth the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born of the house of David, Josiah by name, which upon thee shall offer the priests of the hill altars that sacrifice upon thee, and shall burn men's bones upon thee.'" And he gave them the same time a sign, saying, "This is the sign, of that the LORD hath promised: Behold, the altar shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out."


And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer, and cried against the altar at the commandment of the LORD and said, "Altar, altar, thus sayeth the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born of the house of David, Josiah by name, which upon thee shall offer the priests of the hill altars that sacrifice upon thee, and shall burn men's bones upon thee.'" And he gave them the same time a sign, saying, "This is the sign, of that the LORD hath promised: Behold, the altar shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out." read more.
And when the king heard the saying of the man of God which he cried against the altar in Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar saying, "Hold him." And his hand, which he put forth toward him, dried up that he could not pull it in again to him; and the altar clave and the ashes ran out of the altar according to the token which the man of God had given at the commandment of the LORD. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, "Oh pray unto the LORD thy God and make intercession for me, that my hand may be restored me again." And the man of God besought the LORD, and his hand came to him again as well as before. Then said the king unto the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward." But the man of God answered the king, "If thou wouldest give me half thine house, I would not go with thee - neither would I eat meat or drink water in this place. For so was it charged me, through the word of God and said to me, 'Eat no bread nor drink water nor turn again by the same way thou wentest." And so he went another way and returned not by the way he came to Bethel. And there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel, and the words which he spake unto the king they told their father also. And their father said unto them, "What way went he?" For his sons had seen what way the man of God went which came from Judah. Then said he to his sons, "Saddle mine ass." And they saddled him an ass. And he gat him up thereon and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an Oak and said unto him, "Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah?" And he said, "Yea." Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat bread." And the other said again, "I may not return with thee, to go with thee, neither may I eat bread or drink water with thee in this place. For it was said to me by the commandment of the LORD, 'Eat no bread nor drink water in this place, nor turn again by the way thou wentest.'" And the old prophet said unto him, "I am a prophet as well as thou, and an Angel spake unto me with the word of the LORD saying, 'Bring him again with thee to thine house, and let him eat bread and drink water.' Bvt he lied unto him. And so the other went again with him and ate bread in his house and drank water. And as they sat at the table, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him again. And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, "Thus sayeth the LORD: 'Because thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, but camest back again and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place in which he bade that thou shouldest eat no bread nor drink water: therefore thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.'" And when he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled an ass for the prophet which he had brought again. And as he journeyed, a lion met him by the way and slew him, and his carcass lay along in the way and the ass stood thereby, and the lion stood by the corpse also.


And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, they sent and called him unto the congregation and made him king over Israel: and no man followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein. And went from thence and built Penuel. And Jeroboam thought in his heart, "Now might the kingdom return to the house of David again. For if this people shall go up and do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall their hearts turn again unto their lord Rehoboam king of Judah. And so shall they kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah." read more.
Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold and said unto the people, "Ye shall not need to go any more to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, Israel, which brought you out of the land of Egypt!" And he put the one in Bethel and the other in Dan. And that doing was a cause of sin. And the people went before the one as far as Dan. And he made houses of hill altars, and made, of the lowest of the people, priests which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam made a feast the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like unto the feast that was in Judah, and offered on the altar. And so did he in Bethel, to offer unto the calves that he had made. And he put in Bethel the priests of the hill altars, which he had made. And he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel, the fifteenth day of the eighth month, which he had imagined of his own heart: and made a solemn feast unto the children of Israel, and went up to the altar to burn sacrifice. And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer, and cried against the altar at the commandment of the LORD and said, "Altar, altar, thus sayeth the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born of the house of David, Josiah by name, which upon thee shall offer the priests of the hill altars that sacrifice upon thee, and shall burn men's bones upon thee.'" And he gave them the same time a sign, saying, "This is the sign, of that the LORD hath promised: Behold, the altar shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out." And when the king heard the saying of the man of God which he cried against the altar in Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar saying, "Hold him." And his hand, which he put forth toward him, dried up that he could not pull it in again to him; and the altar clave and the ashes ran out of the altar according to the token which the man of God had given at the commandment of the LORD. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, "Oh pray unto the LORD thy God and make intercession for me, that my hand may be restored me again." And the man of God besought the LORD, and his hand came to him again as well as before. Then said the king unto the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward." But the man of God answered the king, "If thou wouldest give me half thine house, I would not go with thee - neither would I eat meat or drink water in this place. For so was it charged me, through the word of God and said to me, 'Eat no bread nor drink water nor turn again by the same way thou wentest." And so he went another way and returned not by the way he came to Bethel. And there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel, and the words which he spake unto the king they told their father also. And their father said unto them, "What way went he?" For his sons had seen what way the man of God went which came from Judah. Then said he to his sons, "Saddle mine ass." And they saddled him an ass. And he gat him up thereon and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an Oak and said unto him, "Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah?" And he said, "Yea." Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat bread." And the other said again, "I may not return with thee, to go with thee, neither may I eat bread or drink water with thee in this place. For it was said to me by the commandment of the LORD, 'Eat no bread nor drink water in this place, nor turn again by the way thou wentest.'" And the old prophet said unto him, "I am a prophet as well as thou, and an Angel spake unto me with the word of the LORD saying, 'Bring him again with thee to thine house, and let him eat bread and drink water.' Bvt he lied unto him. And so the other went again with him and ate bread in his house and drank water. And as they sat at the table, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him again. And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, "Thus sayeth the LORD: 'Because thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, but camest back again and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place in which he bade that thou shouldest eat no bread nor drink water: therefore thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.'" And when he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled an ass for the prophet which he had brought again. And as he journeyed, a lion met him by the way and slew him, and his carcass lay along in the way and the ass stood thereby, and the lion stood by the corpse also. And men that passed by, saw the carcass cast along in the way and the lion standing thereby, and went and told it in the town where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back again from the way, heard thereof, he said, "It is the man of God which disobeyed the mouth of the LORD. And therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion which hath rent him and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he said to him." And he said to his sons, "Saddle me an ass." So they did. And he went and found the body cast along in the way, and the ass and the lion standing thereby. And the lion had not eaten the carcass nor hurt the ass. And he took up the body of the man of God and put it upon the ass and brought it again, and came to the city of the old prophet to lament him, and to bury him. And he laid his body in his own grave and lamented over him, "Oh my brother." And when he had buried him, he spake to his sons, saying, "When I am dead, see that ye bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried, and lay my bones by his. For the saying which he cried at the bidding of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of hill altars which are in the cities of Samaria, shall come to pass." Howbeit, for all that, Jeroboam turned not from his wicked way: but turned away and made of the lowest of the people priests of the hill altars. Whosoever would, he filled their hands, and they became priests of the hill altars. And this doing was sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to destroy it and to put it away from off the face of the earth. At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said unto his wife, "Up, a fellowship, and change thine apparel that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam, and get thee to Shiloh. For there is Ahijah the prophet which told me that I should be king over this people. And take with thee ten loaves and cracknels and a cruse of honey, and go to him: for he will tell thee what shall come of the lad." And Jeroboam's wife did so: she arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were waxen dim for age. And the LORD said unto Ahijah, "Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh, to question with thee about her son which is sick. This wise and this wise answer her." And when she came, she feigned herself to be another woman. But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came to the door, he said, "Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam: why feignest thou thyself to be another? I am sent to thee a cruel messenger. Go and tell Jeroboam, thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel: 'Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the common people and made thee prince over my people Israel, and did rent the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it thee - and thou hast not been as was my servant David, which kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, to do that only which seemeth right in mine eyes - but hast done evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made the other gods and images of metal, to provoke me, and hast cast me behind thy back. Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam and will strike from Jeroboam all that pisseth against the wall, and whatsoever is in prison or forsaken in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as men take away a dung hill, till it be consumed. And whosoever of Jeroboam's house die in the town, him shall the dogs eat, and him that dieth in the field, shall the fowls of the air eat': for the LORD hath said it. Up, and get thee to thine house, and as soon as thy foot enterest the city, the lad shall die. Howbeit, all Israel shall mourn him and bury him, for this only of all Jeroboam shall come to the sepulchre, because in him there is found goodness toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. Moreover, the LORD shall stir him up a king over Israel which shall destroy the house of Jeroboam in that day. And what is that, that is now in hand? And the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed that groweth in the water is shaken, and will weed Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond Euphrates, because they have made them groves to anger the LORD. And he will give Israel up, because of the sin of Jeroboam wherewith he did sin and made Israel sin thereto." And Jeroboam's wife arose and departed and went to Tirzah, and by that she was come to the threshold of the door, the lad was dead. And all Israel buried him and lamented him, according to the word of the LORD which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the Prophet. And the rest of the deeds of Jeroboam - how he warred and how he reigned - are written in the book of the stories of the kings of Israel. And the days which Jeroboam reigned were twenty two years. And then he rested with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.


And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer,


And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer, and cried against the altar at the commandment of the LORD and said, "Altar, altar, thus sayeth the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born of the house of David, Josiah by name, which upon thee shall offer the priests of the hill altars that sacrifice upon thee, and shall burn men's bones upon thee.'" And he gave them the same time a sign, saying, "This is the sign, of that the LORD hath promised: Behold, the altar shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out." read more.
And when the king heard the saying of the man of God which he cried against the altar in Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar saying, "Hold him." And his hand, which he put forth toward him, dried up that he could not pull it in again to him; and the altar clave and the ashes ran out of the altar according to the token which the man of God had given at the commandment of the LORD. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, "Oh pray unto the LORD thy God and make intercession for me, that my hand may be restored me again." And the man of God besought the LORD, and his hand came to him again as well as before. Then said the king unto the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward." But the man of God answered the king, "If thou wouldest give me half thine house, I would not go with thee - neither would I eat meat or drink water in this place. For so was it charged me, through the word of God and said to me, 'Eat no bread nor drink water nor turn again by the same way thou wentest." And so he went another way and returned not by the way he came to Bethel.

And now ye think to prevail against the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David, because ye be a great multitude and have with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods. And have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests like the nations of other lands? Even whosoever cometh and filleth his hand with an ox and seven rams, the same is made priest to them that are no Gods. But with us is the LORD our God whom we have not forsaken, and the priests of the sons of Aaron ministering unto the LORD, and the Levites in office: read more.
burning unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet cense: and the shewbread put in order upon a pure table: and the candlestick of gold with the lamps of the same, to be lighted every evening. For we keep the watch of the LORD our God: but ye have forsaken him.


And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah with the word of God, to Bethel, as Jeroboam stood by the altar to offer, and cried against the altar at the commandment of the LORD and said, "Altar, altar, thus sayeth the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born of the house of David, Josiah by name, which upon thee shall offer the priests of the hill altars that sacrifice upon thee, and shall burn men's bones upon thee.'" And he gave them the same time a sign, saying, "This is the sign, of that the LORD hath promised: Behold, the altar shall rent and the ashes that are in it shall fall out." read more.
And when the king heard the saying of the man of God which he cried against the altar in Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar saying, "Hold him." And his hand, which he put forth toward him, dried up that he could not pull it in again to him; and the altar clave and the ashes ran out of the altar according to the token which the man of God had given at the commandment of the LORD.

And Jeroboam thought in his heart, "Now might the kingdom return to the house of David again. For if this people shall go up and do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall their hearts turn again unto their lord Rehoboam king of Judah. And so shall they kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah." Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold and said unto the people, "Ye shall not need to go any more to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, Israel, which brought you out of the land of Egypt!" read more.
And he put the one in Bethel and the other in Dan. And that doing was a cause of sin. And the people went before the one as far as Dan. And he made houses of hill altars, and made, of the lowest of the people, priests which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam made a feast the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like unto the feast that was in Judah, and offered on the altar. And so did he in Bethel, to offer unto the calves that he had made. And he put in Bethel the priests of the hill altars, which he had made. And he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel, the fifteenth day of the eighth month, which he had imagined of his own heart: and made a solemn feast unto the children of Israel, and went up to the altar to burn sacrifice.

And he will give Israel up, because of the sin of Jeroboam wherewith he did sin and made Israel sin thereto."