his evil way, but made
again from among all the people priests of the high places: whosoever
would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high
places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to
cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.

_How the King's Son Died_.

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said
to his wife, "Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be
not known to be the wife of Jeroboam: and get thee to Shiloh; behold,
there is Ahijah the prophet, who spoke concerning me that I should be
king over this people. And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels,
and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall
become of the child."

And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to
the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were blind
by reason of his age.

And the Lord said unto Ahijah, "Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to
inquire of thee concerning her son; for he is sick: thus and thus
shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she
shall feign herself to be another woman."

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And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she carne
in at the door, that he said, "Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why
feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy
tidings. Go, tell Jeroboam, 'Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel:
Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee
prince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house
of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant
David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his
heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; but hast done
evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee
other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast
me behind thy back: therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the
house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male child,
and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth
away dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city
shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the fields shall the fowls
of the air eat: for the Lord hath spoken it.'

"Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine house: and when thy feet
enter into the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mou