1 Kings 12 | 2 Chronicles 10:1-11:17

With the death of king Solomon, his son Rehoboam becomes the default successor to the throne in Israel, however he seems to have not learned or inherited any of his father’s wisdom. He does nothing to appease the people’s requests for relief, and the norther tribes in Israel make Jeroboam their king. From this point forward Israel is divided into two kingdoms, with all of the tribes except Judah, Benjamin, and the levitical priests following Jeroboam, just as God had promised (1 Kings 11:29-39).

In 2 Chronicles 11:16-17 we are also told that there were some from the 10 northern tribes who also moved south into Judah, who were faithful to Yahweh, and they supported Rehoboam as their king. So, even though the northern tribes would eventually be taken into captivity by the Assyrians, and never return to Israel, there was a remnant of northern tribes that were preserved with Judah and Benjamin. There is no truth to the myth that 10 tribes were completely lost to history.