Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume I: A Kingdom Divided

Lesson 4 Jeroboam Turns from the LORD
the First Book of the Kings 12:1—13:34

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
next lesson: Judah Also Sins Against the LORD

This material coordinates with Lesson 4 on pages 27–32 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, and I showed myself their Master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”—the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34

welcome to Volume I of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume I of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided contains 28 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 23-lesson Volume II: Restoration & Redemption also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-study question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the First Book of the Kings 11:1–43
Lesson 3 Ahijah Foretells the End of the United Kingdom marks the end of what sometimes is referred to as the “golden age” of the descendants of Jacob—a 120-year period when all 12 tribes are ruled first by Saul, then by David, and finally by Solomon. Traditionally, each of those kings is thought to have ruled 40 years. The prophet Ahijah announces that the LORD intends to tear the united kingdom apart, giving 10 tribes to Jeroboam, an Ephraimite, and leaving Solomon’s son Rehoboam with two tribes in the south. Because of God’s fondness for David, this won’t happen until after the death of Solomon. It’s significant that even though Solomon’s tolerance for the worship of pagan idols has greatly displeased the LORD, there’s no indication that God is going back on his promise to establish an eternal dynasty for the house of David. Like the love of any good parent, God’s love for his people—all 12 tribes—includes punishment for harmful behavior. The LORD’s punishment is discipline designed to correct dangerous conduct. This, too, is part of the promise God made concerning David’s descendants and recorded in the Second Book of Samuel 7:13–15: “He [David’s offspring] shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men; but I will not take my merciful love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.”

map notes—prophets from the north & the south
One of the factors at play in Rehoboam’s initial resistance to accepting defection of the 10 northern tribes undoubtedly is that the original announcement came through Ahijah, a prophet from Shiloh, a city in territory settled by the half-tribe of Ephraim. Before David conquered Jerusalem and moved the ark of the covenant, Shiloh had served as the main worship center for the descendants of Jacob. Because Ahijah was a Shilonite, it would be reasonable to expect him not to have a vested interest in maintaining the political and religious capital in territory settled by the tribe of Judah. When the prophet Shemaiah, who lives in Judah, speaks up against Judah and Benjamin going to war against the 10 northern tribes, however, no reasonable argument can be made that Shemaiah is motivated by tribal self-interest. Ahijah’s prophecy essentially is confirmed by Shemaiah. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 31 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. 

what’s going on with Rehoboam? (01:04:33)
At Solomon’s death, Rehoboam is put in a lose-lose situation. No matter what Rehoboam does, the LORD already has determined to give the rule of 10 tribes of Israel to Jeroboam. In the video overview for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps points out that Rehoboam’s problems can be traced to his father. It’s because of Solomon’s behavior that the kingdom is undergoing a split. In addition, Solomon apparently did little or nothing to prepare Rehoboam for the responsibilities of kingship. Finally, Rehoboam has been brought up in a household heavily influenced by the false gods worshiped by Solomon’s many foreign wives. Not only is Rehoboam slated to pay the price for his father’s sins, Rehoboam also doesn’t know how to rule as a king. His most serious problem, however, is that he has little experience worshiping the LORD.


The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. You can follow along with the video as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 4, “Jeroboam Turns from the LORD,” on pages 27–32 in the study book.

a math problem
The First Book of the Kings 11:35–36 records the prophet Ahijah foretelling that Jeroboam is going to be given 10 tribes and that Solomon’s son Rehoboam will be given one. Although Scripture is consistent about the descendants of Jacob consisting of 12 tribes, it’s inconsistent about the names of those tribes. Different listings appear throughout the Bible, and nowhere are the 10 northern tribes that make up the northern kingdom of Israel specifically named. The southern kingdom of Judah, however, frequently is identified as being made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Because of this, readers can assume that when Ahijah prophesies that Rehoboam will be given one tribe, this means in addition to his own tribe of Judah the one tribe that he’ll be given to rule over is the tribe of Benjamin.

The other place where this seems unclear is in the First Book of the Kings 12:17–20, which implies that all of the tribes except Judah have rejected Rehoboam as their king. The First Book of the Kings 12:21, however, immediately clarifies that the tribe of Benjamin is aligned with Judah.

what happens to the tribe of Simeon?
After the united kingdom splits, the First and Second Books of the Kings fail to mention whether territory settled by the tribe of Simeon—surrounded on all sides by territory of Judah—is considered part of the southern kingdom or of the northern kingdom of Israel. The fact is, scholars don’t know what happens to the tribe of Simeon. Most think it likely that some of Simeon’s descendants migrated north while others remained in the south. Those in the north would have been taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 722–721 B.C., and whoever remained from the tribe of Simeon in the south would have been assimilated into the tribe of Judah and most probably would have been taken into exile by the Babylonians in 597 and 586 B.C. The land allotted to the tribe of Simeon but surrounded by land given to the tribe of Judah surely would have been claimed by the southern kingdom of Judah.

telltale language
When Rehoboam asks his counselors to advise him about how to respond to the people who’ve asked that he ease the amount of forced labor Solomon had been requiring, the language Rehoboam uses betrays his attitude. When speaking to the older men who’d been advising his father, the First Book of the Kings 12:6 records that Rehoboam uses the first-person singular when he says: “How do you advise me to answer this people?” When speaking to the younger men with whom he has grown up, the First Book of the Kings 12:9 records that Rehoboam switches to the imperial first-person plural: “What do you advise that we answer this people … ?” It comes as no surprise when Rehoboam decides to follow the advice of the young men, with whom he has more in common.

have we moved past anointing?
Not only is Jeroboam not anointed when he becomes ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel, there’s no evidence that Rehoboam has been anointed king in the south. This raises the question about what purpose anointing plays in the ascension of kings. All three of the kings who ruled the united kingdom—Saul, David, and Solomon—were anointed by a prophet acting in the place of God. Although anointing consists of having oil poured over one’s head by a prophet, at its core anointing is a sign that a person has been set apart by God for a specific purpose. The rulers of the united kingdom were chosen for political office by the LORD and not by the people. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King focuses on the lives of these kings of the united kingdom.

After God’s promise to David of an eternal hereditary kingdom, there’s no need of further anointing for David’s descendants who inherit the throne in the south. God has taken pains to establish a dynastic line through David, but the LORD didn’t promise that this kingdom always would encompass all 12 tribes. In the First Book of the Kings 11:38, God offers to build a sure house (a royal dynasty) for Jeroboam as well, but this time the offer is contingent upon Jeroboam keeping the LORD’s statutes and commandments as David did. David’s obedience and love for God were well established before God’s promise to him. Jeroboam’s faithfulness to the LORD is a question mark. If he honors God’s commandments, there’s the opportunity for a second dynasty in addition to the one promised to the house of David. Until Jeroboam has proven himself, however, there’s no anointing of anyone in his line.

ex libris—a helpful book about the prophets
Introduction to the Prophets: Their Stories, Sayings, and Scrolls offers an academic rather than a spiritual look at the influence of the prophets. The book contains charts and illustrations, as well as commentary on prophetic biblical passages that occur in Jewish, Protestant, and Roman Catholic lectionaries. The author, Thomas L. Leclerc, M.S. (Missionaries of La Salette), a priest and professor of sacred Scripture at Emmanuel College in Boston, Massachusetts, explains the “messenger formula,” which will be repeated throughout the First and Second Books of the Kings. This formulaic language, which borrows from political diplomacy, uses the introductory phrase “Thus says the LORD” to identify God as the source of the words to follow. The LORD’s message then is delivered in first-person singular. At ex libris—main bookshelf, read an excerpt and learn more about Introduction to the Prophets: Their Stories, Sayings, and Scrolls and other works related to Bible study.

those golden calves at Dan & Bethel
A number of scholars have commented about the calves at Dan and Bethel, sometimes appearing to make excuses for Jeroboam by noting that the calves weren’t intended as false gods but as images of the LORD. Really? Really? Given the history of the descendants of Jacob, it’s difficult for most readers to buy into the idea that Jeroboam had no idea God would find such behavior offensive. It isn’t as though God’s people have had no experience worshiping a golden calf in the past—and even present-day Christians with limited biblical background know how that worked out. Giving Jeroboam maximum benefit of the doubt, one still needn’t be as wise as Solomon to be able to figure out that including golden images of calves in worship of the LORD is a sure sign that something has gone seriously astray.

apocalyptic consequences 
The book of Revelation 7:3–4 records that the number of those to be sealed as servants of God is 144,000 “out of every tribe of the sons of Israel.” An unusual listing of these sons of Israel follows: Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. The number 144,000 (12 times 12 times 1,000) seems to indicate ultimate fulfillment for Israel. The book of Revelation contains a large number of images and statements that are difficult to understand, like this odd listing of the 12 tribes that includes Joseph and Levi but leaves the tribe of Dan and the half-tribe of Ephraim out of the mix. One logical explanation for why Dan and Ephraim fail to make the cut is that the alternate worship centers set up by Jeroboam were in territory settled by the tribe of Dan and by the half-tribe of Ephraim. Learn more in Lesson 8 Salvation Belongs to Our God in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness.

what is Jeroboam thinking anyway?
Jeroboam’s interference in the traditional way that the descendants of Jacob worship the LORD represents a corruption of the balance of power in which kings are answerable to prophets. Jeroboam’s actions leave no room for God to be in charge. Jeroboam is putting himself in the place of God. It seems obvious that Jeroboam fears the loss of political power more than he fears offending the LORD. This leads the people to sin and brings Jeroboam’s entire house to destruction.

WHAT ASSUMPTIONS do you have about things that God will & won’t do?
Behind Jeroboam’s behavior seems to be the idea that since God has torn away the 10 northern tribes from Rehoboam and given Jeroboam political authority over them, the LORD won’t do anything to jeopardize that arrangement. It isn’t uncommon for men and women who are called to spiritual work to begin thinking it’s more important to protect the work than to safeguard their relationship with God.

?  What evidence in the present-day world shows people putting some form of earthly power or selfish behavior above a right relationship with God?
?  Consider whether there ever is a case in which the ends might justify the means.
?  What misconceptions about the nature of God might lead people to think that God is so reliant on human assistance that a certain amount of sin will be tolerated as long as it’s committed with the idea of achieving some allegedly “good” goal?
?  What assumptions does society make about what God will and won’t do in the life of an individual person?

pray with the Psalms—what portion have we in David?
An inheritance is something that passes on to relatives of a person who has died. The twelfth chapter in the First Book of the Kings records that the descendants of Jacob who aren’t also descended from Judah feel no kinship with David and his line. This has spiritual ramifications. All of the descendants of Jacob were provided with an inheritance in Canaan. (In most cases this was land, although the tribe of Levi was set apart for religious service and so provided for in a different way.) Because the descendants of Jacob also are descendants of Abraham, they inherit the benefits of God’s promises to Abraham—one of which is the promise of land. In Psalm 142:5, the Psalmist equates his inheritance to his relationship with the LORD, claiming God as his refuge and portion in the land of the living. It’s noteworthy that this Psalm is attributed to David, from whom the northern tribes now wish to distance themselves. Prayed at First Sunday Vespers (Week I), Psalm 142 is included as part of Lesson 1 Set a Guard on My Mouth in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers.

the lion is a symbol for the tribe of Judah
After the man of God who came from Judah disobeys the LORD by eating and drinking in the northern kingdom, he’s met on the road and killed by a lion. The thirteenth chapter in the First Book of the Kings records that although the elderly prophet from Bethel expects to find the man of God torn apart by the lion, he instead finds the lion protectively standing over the man’s body. The idea that a lion symbolizes the tribe of Judah goes back to Jacob’s blessing of his sons. The book of Genesis 49:9 records these words in Jacob’s blessing of Judah: “Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he lurked as a lion, and as a lioness; who dares rouse him up?” This isn’t the only time in Scripture that the image of a lion connects to the tribe of Judah.

Israel & Judah—you could look them up in our archives
The difference between “Israel” and “Judah” confuses many people. In this study, “Judah” almost always will refer to the southern kingdom, while “Israel” usually will refer to the northern kingdom. Both terms have multiple meanings, however. You can learn to recognize different ways that “Israel” and “Judah” are used in the Bible by referring to our online glossary for this study or by reading Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

biblical vocabulary—whither
The First Book of the Kings 12:1–2 (RSVCE) records that when Jeroboam learns that Rehoboam is about to become ruler over all of the descendants of Jacob, Jeroboam returns from Egypt “whither” he had fled to escape being killed by Solomon. In the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation of both the Old and New Testaments, such words as “hither,” “whither,” “thither,” “hence,” “thence”, and “whence” usually have been replaced by their modern English equivalents. Although many readers can guess at the meaning of these old-fashioned conjunctive adverbs, most people don’t fully understand what they signify.

The beginnings “h-”, “th-”, and “wh-” refer to location. (In modern English these beginnings are seen in “here,” “there,” and “where.”) The endings “-ence” and “ither” refer to direction. “To” and “from” are included in these words’ meanings so those prepositions shouldn’t be repeated. The ending “-ence” has to do with moving from a place, while the ending “-ither” has to do with moving to a place. So hence means “from here,” thence means “from there,” whence means “from where” or “where from?” Hither means “to here,” thither means “to there,” and whither means “to where” or “where to?”

Q&A—what’s the correct listing of the 12 tribes of Israel?
A participant studying Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption had a question about why Ephraim and Manasseh are referred to as half tribes, which led another participant to comment on something she remembered from our study of the book of Revelation about the listing of the tribes. Participants studying Volume I: A Kingdom Divided also may find the same information useful.

Q: Why are Ephraim and Manasseh referred to as half tribes?

A: Ephraim and Manasseh are the Egyptian-born sons of Joseph, eleventh son of Jacob. At the end of the book of Genesis, Jacob adopts both boys, and they essentially split what otherwise would have been considered their father’s inheritance of land in Canaan. Scripture sometimes calls their descendants members of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, but they also are referred to as members of half tribes (again, of Ephraim and Manasseh). Listings of Jacob’s sons include Joseph, but it’s rare for Scripture to include Joseph in the listing of the 12 tribes. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis provides more information about Jacob’s sons.

Q: Why are there so many variations in biblical listings of the 12 tribes? Doesn’t the book of Revelation omit Dan and another tribe because of the location of the worship centers set up in the northern kingdom by Jeroboam to compete with Jerusalem in the southern kingdom?

A: This is an astute observation. The authors of Scripture appear to have manipulated the names of the tribes to suit whatever point they were trying to emphasize. The following information is from “Every Tribe of the Sons of Israel,” commentary with Lesson 8 Salvation Belongs to Our God on page 44 in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness. 

“There are several listings of the 12 sons or 12 tribes of Israel in the Scriptures, with slight differences. The birth order of the 12 sons can be found in the book of Genesis 29:31—30:24 and 35:16–18.

“The book of Genesis 48:3–5 describes Jacob’s adoption of Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and they share Joseph’s inheritance. Joseph almost never is referred to as a one of the 12 tribes of Israel, but his sons Ephraim and Manasseh are considered founders of the two half-tribes.

“In the book of Exodus 32:21–29, the Levites distinguish themselves in service to the LORD. As a result, in the book of Exodus 40:12–15, they’re set apart to serve as priests. After this, Levites no longer are included in most listings of the 12 tribes.The book of Numbers 35:1–8 records that the Levites are provided for by the other tribes.

“In the book of Revelation 7:5, Judah is listed first among the tribes of Israel, almost certainly because Jesus is of the tribe of Judah. In the book of Revelation 7:8, Joseph and Benjamin appear to be listed last because they’re last in the birth order.

“Dan and Ephraim are omitted from that list in the book of Revelation. A clue as to why appears in the First Book of the Kings 12:28–30, which records that Jeroboam, ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel, set up golden idols in Dan and in Bethel (a city in Ephraim territory). The tribes of Dan and Ephraim appear to be excluded because they engaged in idolatry that led others away from worship of God.”

what’s happening when & where
Click on the timeline for Lesson 4 to expand it. It also appears on page 30 in the study book.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the passage in this lesson from the First Book of the Kings 12:1—13:34.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the First Book of the Kings 12:1—13:34 (NIV)

round black doveclose with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical text.

O God, you gave Jeroboam the opportunity
to follow your statutes and commandments
so that he might lead your people into right relationship with you.
You continue to offer men and women
countless opportunities to do your will.
Grant us the grace to accept
what you ask of us in a spirit of obedience and love.
We pray this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
who in obeying your divine will 
accepted death in order than humanity might live. Amen.

Lesson 5 Judah Also Sins Against the LORD—the First Book of the Kings 14:1—15:24
Lesson 3 Ahijah Foretells the End of the United Kingdom—the First Book of the Kings 11:1–43

you also may like our study of the book of Revelation
REVELATION LOOK 022516The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness, a 23-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines ways in which our traditional Christian view of heaven is built on Hebrew apocalyptic visions recorded in the Old Testament. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary and takes a close look at the role of the prophets in present-day Christianity. Illustrations by Tami Palladino depict the often-misunderstood images in the book of Revelation. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets— Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. Information about beginning this or one of our other Turning to God’s Word Bible studies can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I always are available to answer your Bible-study questions or concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus—but the same books aren’t found in existing Hebrew manuscripts, which aren’t as old as the oldest version of the Septuagint. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Scripture on the online study pages for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided links to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE). The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. A handful of significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.