1When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the house of Judah and Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.stylus1 Kings 12:21, 1 Kings 12:24, 1 Kings 12:21, 1 Kings 12:24, Psalms 33:162But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God:stylus2 Chronicles 12:15, 2 Chronicles 12:15, 2 Chronicles 8:14, Deuteronomy 33:1, 1 Timothy 6:113“Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and all the Israelites in Judah and Benjaminstylus2 Kings 17:34, Philippians 3:5, Genesis 49:28, Exodus 24:4, Revelation 7:44that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’” So they listened to the words of the LORD and turned back from going against Jeroboam.stylusGenesis 50:20, Genesis 50:20, 2 Chronicles 28:8, 2 Chronicles 28:15, 2 Chronicles 10:155Rehoboam continued to live in Jerusalem, and he built up cities for defense in Judah.stylus2 Chronicles 8:2, 2 Chronicles 8:6, 2 Chronicles 8:2, 2 Chronicles 8:6, 2 Chronicles 27:46He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,stylusMatthew 2:5, Matthew 2:6, 2 Chronicles 20:20, Genesis 35:19, Judges 15:87Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,stylusJoshua 15:35, Joshua 15:35, Micah 1:15, 1 Samuel 22:1, Joshua 12:158Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,stylus1 Samuel 23:14, Joshua 15:44, Joshua 15:24, 1 Samuel 23:19, 1 Chronicles 18:19Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,stylus2 Chronicles 32:9, Joshua 10:5, Joshua 15:39, Joshua 10:11, Joshua 15:3510Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.stylusGenesis 23:2, 2 Samuel 2:11, Joshua 20:7, Joshua 14:14, Joshua 19:4111He strengthened their fortresses and put officers in them, with supplies of food, oil, and wine.stylus2 Chronicles 11:23, Isaiah 22:10, Isaiah 22:11, 2 Chronicles 17:19, 2 Chronicles 11:2312He also put shields and spears in all the cities and strengthened them greatly. So Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.stylus2 Samuel 13:22, 2 Samuel 13:19, 2 Chronicles 32:5, 2 Chronicles 26:14, 2 Chronicles 26:1513Moreover, the priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel stood with Rehoboam.stylus14For the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD.stylus2 Chronicles 13:9, 2 Chronicles 13:9, Numbers 35:2, Numbers 35:5, Numbers 35:215And Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf idols he had made.stylus1 Kings 12:28, 1 Kings 12:28, Deuteronomy 32:17, 1 Kings 12:31, 1 Kings 13:3316Those from every tribe of Israel who had set their hearts to seek the LORD their God followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers.stylus2 Chronicles 15:9, 2 Chronicles 15:9, 1 Samuel 7:3, 1 Samuel 7:4, 2 Chronicles 30:1117So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, because they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.stylus2 Chronicles 12:1, 2 Chronicles 12:1, 2 Chronicles 8:13, 2 Chronicles 8:16, 2 Chronicles 1:118And Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.stylus1 Samuel 16:6, 1 Samuel 16:6, 1 Samuel 17:13, 1 Samuel 17:28, 1 Chronicles 27:1819She bore sons to him: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.stylus20After her, he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.stylus2 Chronicles 13:2, 2 Chronicles 13:2, 1 Kings 15:1, 1 Kings 15:2, 2 Chronicles 11:2121Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.stylusDeuteronomy 17:17, Deuteronomy 17:17, 1 Kings 11:3, Judges 8:30, 2 Samuel 5:1322Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, intending to make him king.stylusDeuteronomy 21:15, Deuteronomy 21:17, Deuteronomy 21:15, Deuteronomy 21:17, 1 Chronicles 5:123Rehoboam also acted wisely by dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and sought many wives for them.stylus2 Chronicles 10:8, 2 Chronicles 10:15, 1 Kings 1:5, 1 Kings 1:6, Genesis 25:6