¹¹Rehoboam made those cities even more secure. He put commanders in them. He gave them plenty of food, olive oil and wine. ¹²He put shields and spears in all of those cities. He made them very strong. So he ruled over Judah and Benjamin.

¹³The priests and Levites were on Rehoboam’s side. They came from their territories all over Israel. ¹⁴The Levites even left their grasslands and other property behind. They came to Judah and Jerusalem. That’s because Jeroboam and his sons had refused to accept them as priests of the Lord. ¹⁵Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the high places. He had made statues of gods that looked like goats and calves. His priests served those gods.

¹⁶Some people from every tribe in Israel followed the Levites to Jerusalem. With all their hearts they wanted to worship the Lord. He is the God of Israel. They came to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to him. He was the God of their people of long ago.

¹⁷All those who came to Jerusalem made the kingdom of Judah strong. They helped Solomon’s son Rehoboam for three years. During that time they lived the way David and Solomon had lived.

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