²⁸ So the king sought advice.

Then he made two golden calves, and he said to the people, “Going to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Israel, here is your God^[a] who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”^{(A) 29} He set up one in Bethel,^(B) and put the other in Dan.^{(C) 30} This led to sin;^(D) the people walked in procession before one of the calves all the way to Dan.^[b](E)

³¹ Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places^(F) and set up priests from every class of people who were not Levites.^{(G) 32} Jeroboam made a festival in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival in Judah.^(H) He offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had set up. He also stationed the priests in Bethel for the high places he had set up.^{(I) 33} He offered sacrifices on^[c] the altar he had set up in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. He chose this month on his own.^(J) He made a festival for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.^(K)

Summary of Israel’s History

²¹ When the Lord tore^(A) Israel from the house of David, Israel made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.^(B) Then Jeroboam led Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit great sin. ²² The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam committed and did not turn away from them.^{(C) 23} Finally, the Lord removed Israel from His presence just as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel has been exiled to Assyria from their homeland until today.^(D)