^11:1When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from Judah and Benjamin¹ to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. ^11:2But the Lord told Shemaiah the prophet,²^11:3“Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin, ^11:4‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.” ’ ”³ They obeyed the Lord and called off the attack against Jeroboam.⁴

Rehoboam’s Reign

^11:5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem;⁵ he built up these fortified cities throughout Judah: ^11:6Bethlehem,⁶ Etam, Tekoa, ^11:7Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, ^11:8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ^11:9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ^11:10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. ^11:11He fortified these cities and placed officers in them, as well as storehouses of food, olive oil, and wine. ^11:12In each city there were shields and spears; he strongly fortified them.⁷ Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

^11:13The priests and Levites who lived throughout Israel supported him, no matter where they resided.⁸^11:14The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving as the Lord’s priests. ^11:15Jeroboam⁹ appointed his own priests to serve at the worship centers¹⁰ and to lead in the worship of the goat idols and calf idols he had made.¹¹^11:16Those among all the Israelite tribes who were determined to worship the Lord God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem¹² to sacrifice to the Lord God of their ancestors.¹³^11:17They supported¹⁴ the kingdom of Judah and were loyal to¹⁵ Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years; they followed the edicts of¹⁶ David and Solomon for three years.

^11:18Rehoboam married¹⁷ Mahalath the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of¹⁸ Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. ^11:19She bore him sons named Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ^11:20He later married Maacah the daughter of Absalom. She bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ^11:21Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than his other wives and concubines.¹⁹ He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

^11:22Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as the leader over his brothers, for he intended to name him his successor.²⁰^11:23He wisely placed some of his many sons throughout the regions of Judah and Benjamin in the various fortified cities.²¹ He supplied them with abundant provisions and acquired many wives for them.²²

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Footnotes

1 Heb “he summoned the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men, accomplished in war.”
2 Heb “and the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying.”
3 Heb “for his thing is from me.”
4 Heb “and they heard the words of the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam.”
5 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
6 For location see ; ; ; .
7 Heb “he strengthened them greatly, very much.”
8 Heb “and the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel supported him from all their territory.”
9 Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 Heb “for the high places.”
11 Heb “and for the goats and for the calves he had made.”
12 Heb “and after them from all the tribes of Israel, the ones giving their heart[s] to seek the Lord God of Israel came [to] Jerusalem.”
13 Heb “fathers.”
14 Or “strengthened.”
15 Or “strengthened.”
16 Heb “they walked in the way of.”
17 Heb “took for himself a wife.”
18 The words “and of” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
19 Concubines were slave women in ancient Near Eastern societies who were the legal property of their master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with their master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10–14; 1 Kgs 11:3).
20 Heb “and Rehoboam appointed for a head Abijah son of Maacah for ruler among his brothers, indeed to make him king.”
21 Heb “and he was discerning and broke up from all his sons to all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities.”
22 “and he asked for a multitude of wives.”