Bible Verses About Kings

They put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his skull to the temple of Dagon.

When everyone in Yavesh-Gil'ad heard all that the P'lishtim had done to Sha'ul,

all their warriors set out, took away the body of Sha'ul and the bodies of his sons, brought them to Yavesh, buried their bones under the pistachio tree in Yavesh and fasted seven days.

So Sha'ul died for the transgression he committed against ADONAI, because of the word of ADONAI that he did not keep and because he sought the counsel of a spirit

instead of consulting ADONAI. Therefore ADONAI put him to death and turned the rulership over to David the son of Yishai.

However, ADONAI the God of Isra'el chose me out of my father's whole family to be king over Isra'el forever; for he chose Y'hudah to be the leader; and in the house of Y'hudah, in the house of my father, and among the sons of my father, it was his pleasure to make me king over all Isra'el;

and of all my sons - for ADONAI has given me many sons - he has chosen Shlomo my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of ADONAI over Isra'el.

"Moreover, he said to me, 'Shlomo your son will build my house and courtyards, for I have chosen him to be a son to me, and I will be a father to him.

Rechav'am went to Sh'khem, where all Isra'el had come in order to proclaim him king.

When Yarov'am the son of N'vat heard of it, he returned from Egypt, where he had fled from Shlomo.

They sent and summoned him, so Yarov'am and all Isra'el came and said to Rechav'am,

"Your father laid a harsh yoke on us. But if you will lighten the harsh service we had to render your father and ease his heavy yoke that he put on us, we will serve you."

He said to them, "Come back to me after three days." So the people left.

King Rechav'am consulted the older men who had been in attendance on Shlomo his father during his lifetime and asked, "What advice would you give me as to how to answer these people?"

They said to him, "If you will treat these people kindly, pleasing them and giving them favorable consideration, they will be your servants forever."

But he didn't take the advice the older men gave him; instead he consulted the young men he had grown up with, who were now his attendants.

He said to them, "What advice would you give me, so that we can give an answer to these people who said to me, 'Lighten the yoke that your father laid on us'?"

The young men he had grown up with said to him, "The people who said to you, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter for us'- here's the answer you should give them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!

Yes, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will make it heavier! My father controlled you with whips, but I [will control you] with scorpions!'"

So Yarov'am and all the people came to Rechav'am the third day, as the king had requested by saying, "Come to me again the third day";

and the king answered them harshly. Abandoning the advice of the older men, King Rechav'am

addressed them according to the advice of the young men and said, "I will make your yoke heavy, and I will add to it! My father controlled you with whips, but I will control you with scorpions!"

So the king didn't listen to the people; and that was something God brought about, so that ADONAI could fulfill his word, which he had spoken through Achiyah from Shiloh to Yarov'am the son of N'vat.

When all Isra'el [saw] that the king wasn't listening to them, the people answered the king, "Do we have any share in David? We have no heritage in the son of Yishai! Everyone to your tents, Isra'el! Care for your own house, David!" So all Isra'el left for their tents.

It was in the eighteenth year of King Yarov'am that Aviyah began his reign over Y'hudah.