³⁰ “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.^(A)’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor,^(B) but those who despise^(C) me will be disdained.^(D)

²⁹ About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah^(A) the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, ³⁰ and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore^(B) it into twelve pieces. ³¹ Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear^(C) the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes.

¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord,^(A) to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah^(B) the Shilonite.

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:

So the Israelites went home.^(E)

²⁰ When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.^(A)

¹⁵ They rejected his decrees and the covenant^(A) he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols^(B) and themselves became worthless.^(C) They imitated the nations^(D) around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

²¹ When he tore^(A) Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king.^(B) Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin.^(C)