Quotes About Division

they told him, “Please say Shibboleth.” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. So at that time 42,000 Ephraimites were killed.

The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israelites stood on another, with the valley between them.

And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

So they got up and were counted off—twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David.

Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”

You love those who hate you and hate those who love you! For you have made it clear today that the commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. I know today that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would have pleased you!

“We have ten shares in the king,” answered the men of Israel, “so we have more claim to David than you. Why then do you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of restoring our king?” But the men of Judah pressed even harder than the men of Israel.

Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ramís horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesseís son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”

So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bichri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

One of Joabís young men stood near Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!”

And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,

and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ëBehold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.

But I will take ten tribes of the kingdom from the hand of his son and give them to you.

When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home,

but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.

So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.

When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.

“Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people

Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David.

One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.

There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days.

And there was war between the houses of Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Abijamís life.

At that time the people of Israel were divided: Half of the people supported Tibni son of Ginath as king, and half supported Omri.

So they divided the land to explore. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.