2 Chronicles 12:1–13:22

SHISHAK’S INVASION

12When Rehoboam had established his sovereignty and royal power,^v he abandoned the law of the Lord—he and all Israel with him. ²Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak^w of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem^{a 3}with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 cavalrymen, and countless people who came with him from Egypt—Libyans,^b Sukkiim, and Cushites. ⁴He captured the fortified cities^c of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

⁵Then the prophet Shemaiah^d went to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them, “This is what the Lord says: You have abandoned me; therefore, I have abandoned you to Shishak.”^e

⁶So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is righteous.”^f

⁷When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the Lord’s message came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them but will grant them a little deliverance.^g My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.^{h 8}However, they will become his servants so that they may recognize the difference between serving me and serving the kingdoms of other lands.”ⁱ

⁹So King Shishak of Egypt went to war^j against Jerusalem.^k He seized the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took the gold shields that Solomon had made.^{l 10}King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and committed them into the care of the captains of the guards^A who protected the entrance to the king’s palace. ¹¹Whenever the king entered the Lord’s temple, the guards would carry the shields and take them back to the armory.^{B 12}When Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned away from him, and he did not destroy him completely.^m Besides that, conditions were good in Judah.ⁿ

REHOBOAM’S LAST DAYS

¹³King Rehoboam^o established his royal power in Jerusalem. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put his name.^p Rehoboam’s mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. ¹⁴Rehoboam did what was evil, because he did not determine in his heart to seek the Lord.^q

¹⁵The events^r of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Events of the Prophet Shemaiah^s and of the Seer Iddo concerning genealogies.^t There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their reigns. ¹⁶Rehoboam rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. His son Abijah^u became king in his place.

JUDAH’S KING ABIJAH

13In the eighteenth year^v of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah, ²and he reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah^w daughter of Uriel; she was from Gibeah.

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³Abijah set his army of warriors in order with four hundred thousand fit young men. Jeroboam arranged his mighty army of eight hundred thousand fit young men in battle formation against him. ⁴Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim,^x which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Jeroboam and all Israel, hear me. ⁵Don’t you know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever^y by a covenant of salt?^{z 6}But Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.^{aa 7}Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young, inexperienced, and unable to assert himself against them.

⁸“And now you are saying you can assert yourselves against the Lord’s kingdom, which is in the hand of one of David’s sons. You are a vast number and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.^{ab 9}Didn’t you banish the priests of the Lord, the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and make your own priests like the peoples of other lands do?^ac Whoever comes to ordain himself^ad with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest^ae of what are not gods.^af

¹⁰“But as for us, the Lord is our God. We have not abandoned him; the priests ministering to the Lord are descendants of Aaron, and the Levites serve at their tasks. ¹¹They offer a burnt offering and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and every evening,^ag and they set the rows of the Bread of the Presence on the ceremonially clean table.^ah They light the lamps of the gold lampstand every evening. We are carrying out the requirements of the Lord our God, while you have abandoned him.^{a 12}Look, God and his priests are with us at our head. The trumpets are ready to sound the charge against you. Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”^b

¹³Now Jeroboam had sent an ambush^c around to advance from behind them. So they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴Judah turned and discovered that the battle was in front of them and behind them, so they cried out to the Lord.^d Then the priests blew the trumpets, ¹⁵and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. When the men of Judah raised the battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.^{e 16}So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God handed them over to them.^{f 17}Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and five hundred thousand fit young men of Israel were killed. ¹⁸The Israelites were subdued at that time. The Judahites succeeded because they depended on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

¹⁹Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron,^B along with their surrounding villages. ²⁰Jeroboam no longer retained his power^C during Abijah’s reign; ultimately, the Lord struck him^g and he died.^h

²¹However, Abijah grew strong, acquired fourteen wives, and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. ²²The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, along with his ways and his sayings, are written in the Writingⁱ of the Prophet Iddo.^j