Jeroboam II ivory ... eat lambs from the flock and calves ... [and] sing idle songs ..." (Amos vi. 4-5). The book of Kings, written a century, later condemns Jeroboam for doing "evil in the eyes of the Lord", meaning both the oppression of the poor and his continuing support of the cult centres of Dan and Bethel, in opposition to the temple in Jerusalem. A major earthquake had occurred in Israel c. 760 BC, which may have been during the time of Jeroboam II, towards the end of his rule. This earthquake is mentioned in the Book of Amos as having
Jeroboam northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria). Initially, only the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin remained to form the new kingdom of Judah, loyal to Rehoboam. Jeroboam rebuilt and fortified Shechem as the capital of the northern kingdom, and fearing that pilgrimages to the temple in Jerusalem prescribed by the Law might be an occasion for his people to go back to their old allegiance, he built two state temples with golden calves, one in Bethel and the other in Dan. Although criticised for his cultic activities in 1 Kings 12:25–33, calf worship was not new in Israelite ritual, but a