How Jeroboam Was Punished by God

Meanwhile, Jeroboam also had drawn down upon himself the punishment of God. A son of his whom he dearly loved fell sick. And Jeroboam told his wife to lay off her robes and disguise herself so that no one might know her, and go to the prophet Abijah, at Shiloh. This was the prophet who had foretold that Jeroboam should be king.

"And when thou art come to him," said Jeroboam, "speak to him as a private person, and ask him if thy son who is ill will get well."

Now when Jeroboam's wife was near the prophet's house, God appeared to Abijah and informed him who she was and what answer he was to give her. So the prophet cried out to her,—

"Come in, O thou wife of Jeroboam. Why dost thou conceal thyself? Thou art not concealed from God, who hath appeared to me and informed me thou wast coming, and hath told me what to say to thee. Return then, to thy husband, and repeat to him these words as coming from God: 'I made thee a great man when thou wast a man of little account, and divided with thee the kingdom of David, and because thou hast forgotten all these things and hast forsaken me and worshipped strange gods, I will cast thee down again, and will destroy all thy family, and make them food for the dogs and for the fowls of the air, and thy people shall be punished with thee.' But do thou, O woman, make haste back to thy husband, for when thou reachest the city thy child will be dead. And all the people shall mourn for him and bury him; but he is the only one of Jeroboam's sons who shall be buried in the grave."

Then Jeroboam's wife returned to her husband, and she wept on the way, mourning at what the prophet had said. And she found the child was dead, as had been foretold.