2 Chronicles 11–12

11 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3 Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all aIsrael in Judah and Benjamin, saying, 4 Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against aayour brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built bcities for defence in Judah. 6 He built even cBeth-lehem, and dEtam, and eTekoa, 7 And fBeth-zur, and gShoco, and hAdullam, 8 And iGath, and kMareshah, and lZiph, 9 And mAdoraim, and nLachish, and oAzekah, 10 And pZorah, and qAijalon, and rHebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities. 11 And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine. 12 And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side. 13 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel †resorted to him out of all their coasts. 14 *For the Levites left stheir suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons thad cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the Lord: 15 And he ordained him upriests for the high places, and for xthe devils, and for ythe calves which he had made. 16 zAnd after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the Lord God of their fathers. 17 So they astrengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.

18 And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter of bEliab the son of Jesse; 19 Which bare him children; Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham. 20 And after her he took cMaachah the daughter of dAbsalom; which bare him eAbijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.) 22 And fRehoboam made eAbijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king. 23 And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his children throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city: and he gave them gvictual in abundance. And he hdesired †many wives.

12 *And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and ahad strengthened himself, bhe forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. 2 *And it came to pass, that cin the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord, 3 With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the dLubims, the Sukkiims, and the dEthiopians. 4 And he took ethe fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. 5 Then came fShemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, gYe have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. 6 Whereupon the princes of hIsrael and the king humbled themselves; and they said, iThe Lord is righteous. 7 And when the Lord saw that they jhumbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them ||some deliverance; and kmy wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know lmy service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. 9 mSo Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold nwhich Solomon had made. 10 Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king’s house. 11 And when the king entered into the house of the Lord, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber. 12 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: ||and also in Judah things went well.

13 So king Rehoboam ostrengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for pRehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, qthe city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess. 14 And he did evil, because he ||prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. 15 rNow the acts of Rehoboam, sfirst and last, are they not written in the †book of tShemaiah the prophet, and of uIddo the wseer concerning xgenealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and ||Abijah his son reigned in his stead.