Due to resource constraints in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), energy consumption and networks' lifetime are considered significant challenges. Because sensors have a tiny battery and cannot be charged again. In WSN, collected data is usually transferred to the Base station (BS) directly or hop-by-hop. Therefore, load balancing and routing are one of the main issues in the WSN. This paper proposes a new routing scheme with load-balancing capability using the Markov Model (MM) and the Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm. LEACH algorithm is used to maintain load balancing between Cluster Heads (CHs). Then the Markov Model and the Artificial Bee Colony (MMABC) algorithm were used to find the best candidate nodes of each cluster to be turned into a CH. The simulation results in MATLAB software demonstrated that the proposed method surpasses the compared methods in terms of energy efficiency, number of alive nodes, and the number of delivered packets to BS and CH. European Union [861219]; Marie Curie Actions (MSCA) [861219] Funding Source: Marie Curie Actions (MSCA) This study has been conducted under the project Mobility and Training for beyond 5G ecosystems (MOTOR5G)'. The project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 program under the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) Innovative Training Network (ITN) having grant agreement No. 861219.