II Chronicles 11

¹And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, and got together the men of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand of his best fighting-men, to make war against Israel and get the kingdom back for Rehoboam.

²But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying,

³Say to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,

⁴The Lord has said, You are not to go to war against your brothers: let every man go back to his house, for this thing is my purpose. So they gave ear to the words of the Lord and were turned back from fighting against Jeroboam.

⁵Now Rehoboam kept in Jerusalem, building walled towns in Judah.

⁶He was the builder of Beth-lehem and Etam and Tekoa

⁷And Beth-zur and Soco and Adullam

⁸And Gath and Mareshah and Ziph

⁹And Adoraim and Lachish and Azekah

¹⁰And Zorah and Aijalon and Hebron, walled towns in Judah and Benjamin.

¹¹And he made the walled towns strong, and he put captains in them and stores of food, oil, and wine.

¹²And in every town he put stores of body-covers and spears, and made them very strong. And Judah and Benjamin were his.

¹³And the priests and Levites who were in all Israel came together to him from every part of their country.

¹⁴For the Levites gave up their living-places and their property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons had sent them away, not letting them be priests to the Lord;

¹⁵And he himself made priests for the high places, and for the images of he-goats and oxen which he had made.

¹⁶And after them, from all the tribes of Israel, all those whose hearts were fixed and true to the Lord, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to make offerings to the Lord, the God of their fathers.

¹⁷So they went on increasing the power of the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, strong for three years; and for three years they went in the ways of David and Solomon.

¹⁸And Rehoboam took as his wife Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David and of Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, the son of Jesse;

¹⁹And she had sons by him, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

²⁰And after her he took Maacah, the daughter of Absalom; and she had Abijah and Attai and Ziza and Shelomith by him.

²¹Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, was dearer to Rehoboam than all his wives and his servant-wives: (for he had eighteen wives and sixty servant-wives, and was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.)

²²Rehoboam made Abijah, the son of Maacah, chief and ruler among his brothers, for it was his purpose to make him king.

²³And in his wisdom he had his sons stationed in every walled town through all the lands of Judah and Benjamin; and he gave them a great store of food, and took wives for them.

II Chronicles 11

¹When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.

²But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

³"Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,

⁴'Thus says the Lord, "You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers! Return every man to his house; for this thing is of me."'" So they listened to the words of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

⁵Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.

⁶He built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,

⁷Beth Zur, and Soco, and Adullam,

⁸and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,

⁹and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,

¹⁰and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities.

¹¹He fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, and oil and wine.

¹²He put shields and spears in every city, and made them exceeding strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

¹³The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border.

¹⁴For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest's office to the Lord;

¹⁵and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the male goats, and for the calves which he had made.

¹⁶After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers.

¹⁷So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years; for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon.

¹⁸Rehoboam took him a wife, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;

¹⁹and she bore him sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.

²⁰After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.

²¹Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.)

²²Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, the prince among his brothers; for he intended to make him king.

²³He dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city: and he gave them food in abundance. He sought for them many wives.