1 Rehoboam Builds Cities for Fortification Then Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin,180,000chosen men who could wage war, to fight against Israel to return the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of Yahweh 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 Yahweh, “You shall not go up and fight against your brothers; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me.” ’ ” So they listened to the words of Yahweh and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built cities for fortifications in Judah.
6 Thus he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin.
11 He also strengthened the fortresses and put officers in them and stores of food, oil and wine.
12 Andhe putlarge shields and spears in every city and strengthened them greatly. So he held Judah and Benjamin.
13 Moreover, the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel took their stand with him from all their territories.Jeroboam Sets Up His Own Priests
14 For the Levites left their pasture lands and their possessionof landand went to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from ministering as priests to Yahweh—
15 And he set up priests of his own for the high places, for the goat demons and for the calves which he had made—
16 Now those from all the tribes of Israel who gave their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, 11:16 Lit came after followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and gave courage to Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.Rehoboam’s Family
18 Then Rehoboam took as a wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of Davidand ofAbihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse,
19 and she bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 And after her he took Maacah the daughter of 11:20In 1 Kin15:2,Abishalom Absalom, and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all hisotherwives and concubines. For he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 And Rehoboam set up Abijah the son of Maacahto behead and ruler among his brothers, for heintendedto make him king.
23 And he acted with discernment and distributed 11:23Lit from all some of his sons through all the lands of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities, and he gave them sustenance in abundance. And he sought a multitude of wivesfor them.