the heart of David his Father.

Then did Solomon

build an high place for Chemosh, an Idol of the Moabites, on the hill that is before Jerusalem.

Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as thou hast not kept my Commandments, I will surely rend the Kingdom from thee and give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it, for David thy Father's sake, but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.

And Ahijah a Prophet of the Lord spake to Jeroboam the son of Nebat and said, Behold I will rend the Kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten Tribes unto thee, but he shall have one Tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the City which I have chosen. Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam, and Jeroboam fled to Egypt.

And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem forty years,—and he slept with his fathers, and Rehoboam his sop reigned in his stead..

CHAPTER 72.

THE SEPARATION OF THE TEN TRIBES.

AND Rehoboam went to Sechem, for all Israel were come to Sechem to make him King,-and Jeroboam and all the Congregation came and spake to Rehoboam saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous, now therefore make thou the service lighter and we will serve thee. And he said, Depart, and come again in three days.

And King Rehoboam consulted with the old men that stood before Solomon his father and they said, If thou wilt answer, speak good words to the People, then they will be thy servants for ever. But the King forsook the counsel of the old men, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and an

swered the People roughly, saying, My Father chastised you with Whips, but I will chastise you with Scorpions. So the People answered, What portion have we in David? To your Tents, O Israel! Now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their Tents, and rebelled against the house of David unto this day. And Rehoboam reigned over the two Tribes of Judah and Benjamin in Jerusalem, and his Kingdom was called the Kingdom of Judah. And Jeroboam reigned over the other ten Tribes, and his Kingdom was called the Kingdom of Israel.

CHAPTER 73.

JEROBOAM'S WICKEDNESS.

Now Jeroboam made Altars in high places contrary to the Commandment of God,—and there came a Man of God and prophesied before the Altar in Bethel saying, Behold a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josial by name, and upon this Altar shall he offer the Priests of the high places, and burn their bones,—and so it exactly happened three hundred and fifty years afterwards.

And Jeroboam stretched forth his hand to lay hold on the Prophet, and his hand dried up and withered; and the Prophet besought the Lord, and his hand was restored.

Now there dwelt an old Prophet in Bethel, and his sons told him all the works that the Man of God had done that day in Bethel,—and their father said, Saddle me the Ass, so they saddled him the Ass, and he rode after the Man of God, and found him sitting under an Oak, and said, Come home and eat bread with me,and he said, I may not return with thee, for the word

of the Lord said to me, Thou shalt eat no bread and drink no water in that place. He said unto him, I am a Prophet also as thou art, and an Angel spake unto me, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, but he lied unto him.

So he went back and did eat bread in his house, and drank water; and as they sat at table, the word of the Lord came unto the Prophet, and he cried unto the Man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the command of the Lord thy body shall not come unto the Sepulchre of thy fathers.

And after they had eaten, he saddled the Ass for the Prophet of Judah, and when he was gone, a Lion met him by the way and slew him, and his carcase was cast in the way and the Ass stood by it, the Lion also stood by the carcase. And the Prophet of Bethel,

when he heard of it went and found the carcase in the way, and the Ass and the Lion standing by; the Lion had not eaten the carcase nor torn the Ass. And the Prophet took up the body of the Man of God, and brought it back, and laid it in his own grave.

But Jeroboam returned not from his evil way. And at that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick,

and Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise and disguise thyself and get thee to Shiloh to Ahijah the Prophet. But Ahijah could not see,-and when he heard her at the door, he said, Come in thou wife of Jeroboam, why feignest thou thyself to be another?

Go tell Jeroboam, thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as I exalted thee to be Prince over Israel, and yet thou hast not kept my Commandments, but hast done evil above all that were before thee, I will cut off thy house, and Israel shall be smitten as a reed is shaken in the

water. Arise, get thee to thine own house, and when thy feet enter into the City, the Child shall die. And it was so. And Jeroboam reigned twenty-two years, and he slept with his Fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

CHAPTER 74.

SUCCESSION OF THE KINGS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL.

AND Rehoboam reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem. And Judah also did evil in the sight of the Lord. And the King of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the shields of gold which Solomon had made, from the house of the Lord.

And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

This is the succession of the Kings of Judah and

ISRAEL.

Jeroboam died.

Nadab, his son.-Did evil.
Baasha, conspired and dethron-
ed Nadab.
Elah, his son

Zimri slew Elah, as he was
drunk in the house of Arza
his steward, and he reigned
seven days, and when he
saw the City was taken by
Omri, he burnt the King's
house over his head with fire,
and died.

Omri became King

Ahab, his son He entirely forsook the service of God, and worshipped Baal, and married Jezebel of the Zidonians.

CHAPTER 75.

ELIJAH THE PROPHET.

AND in the days of Ahab the wicked King of Israel, the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, and he prophesied to Ahab there should be no rain. And the Lord said to Elijah, Get thee hence and turn Eastward, and hide thyself by the Brook Cherish beyond Jordan; and thou shalt drink of the Brook, and I have commanded the Ravens to feed thee there. So he went and dwelt by the Brook Cherish, and the Ravens brought him Bread and Flesh in the morning, and in the evening, and he drank of the Brook.

And after a while the Brook dried up, because there had been no rain; and the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, Get thee to Zarephath and dwell there, behold I have commanded a widow Woman there to sustain thee. So when he came to the Gate of the City, behold a widow Woman was there gathering of sticks,-and he called to her and said, Fetch me a little water and a morsel of bread. And she said, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and behold I am gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

And Elijah said, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said, but make me thereof a little cake first and bring it to me, and after make for thee and thy son.-for thus saith the Lord, The barrel of meal shall not waste neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day the Lord sendeth rain upon the Earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah, and she and her house did eat many days; and the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according