2 Chronicles 11

Revised Geneva Translation

11 And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he gathered one hundred eighty thousand chosen men of war from the House of Judah and Benjamin, to fight against Israel and to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam.

² But 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 who are in Judah and Benjamin, saying,

⁴ ‘Thus says the LORD: “You shall neither go up nor fight against your brethren. Every man should return to his house. For I have done this thing.”’” Therefore, they obeyed the Word of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

⁵ And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem and built strong cities in Judah.

⁶ He also built Bethlehem and Etam and Tekoa

⁷ and Beth Zur and Sochoh and Adullam

⁸ and Gath, Mareshah and Ziph

⁹ and Adoraim and Lachish and Azekah

¹⁰ and Zorah and Aijalon and Hebron, which were strong cities in Judah and Benjamin.

¹¹ And he repaired the strongholds and put captains in them, and stores of food, oil and wine.

¹² And he put shields and spears in all cities and made them exceedingly strong. So, Judah and Benjamin were his.

¹³ And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel, out of all their territories, stood with him.

¹⁴ For the Levites left their suburbs and their possessions and came to Judah and to Jerusalem. For Jeroboam and his sons had cast them out from ministering to the LORD in the priests’ office.

¹⁵ And he ordained for himself priests for the high places, and for the demons, and for the calves which he had made.

¹⁶ And after the Levites, there came to Jerusalem such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel, to offer to the LORD God of their fathers, from all the tribes of Israel.

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

¹⁸ And Rehoboam took Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David, for himself as a wife. And he also took Abihail, the daughter of Eliah, the son of Jesse,

¹⁹ who bore him sons: Jeush and Shamariah and Zaham.

²⁰ And after her, he took Maachah, the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah 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 sixty concubines, and begat twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

²² And Rehoboam made Abijah, the son of Maachah, the chief ruler among his brethren, and intended to make him king.

²³ And he taught him and dispersed all his sons throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, to every strong city. And he gave them abundance of food and desired many wives.