2 Chronicles 11
11
Rehoboam Secures His Kingdom
1 # For ver. 1-4, see 1 Kgs. 12:21-24 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2But the word of the Lord came to #ch. 12:5, 15Shemaiah the man of God: 3“Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, 4‘Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against #ch. 28:8, 11your relatives. Return every man to his home, for this thing is from me.’” So they listened to the word of the Lord and returned and did not go against Jeroboam.
5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built #ver. 23; ch. 8:5; 12:4; 14:6; 17:2, 19; 21:3cities for defense in Judah. 6He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, 8Gath, #ch. 14:9Mareshah, Ziph, 9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. 11He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine. 12And he put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.
Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem
13And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all places where they lived. 14For the Levites left #Num. 35:2 their common lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, #ch. 13:9because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the Lord, 15and he appointed his own #1 Kgs. 12:31; 13:33 priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for #See 1 Kgs. 12:28the calves that he had made. 16#ch. 15:9And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers. 17#[ch. 12:1]They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.
Rehoboam’s Family
18Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of #1 Sam. 16:6; 17:13, 28; [1 Chr. 27:18]Eliab the son of Jesse, 19and she bore him sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20After her he took #1 Kgs. 15:2 Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him #[1 Kgs. 14:31]Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). 22#[Deut. 21:15-17] And Rehoboam appointed #[See ver. 20 above]Abijah the son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. 23And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities, and he gave them abundant provisions and procured wives for them.#11:23 Hebrew and sought a multitude of wives
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2 Chronicles 11
11
1When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered one hundred eighty thousand of the best soldiers from Judah and Benjamin. He wanted to fight Israel to take back his kingdom. 2But the Lord spoke his word to Shemaiah, a man of God, saying, 3“Speak to Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the Israelites living in Judah and Benjamin. Say to them, 4‘The Lord says you must not go to war against your brothers. Every one of you should go home, because I made all these things happen.’ ” So they obeyed the Lord’s command and turned back and did not attack Jeroboam.
Rehoboam Makes Judah Strong
5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built strong cities in Judah to defend it. 6He built up the cities of Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, 8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were strong, walled cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11When Rehoboam made those cities strong, he put commanders and supplies of food, oil, and wine in them. 12Also, Rehoboam put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. Rehoboam kept the people of Judah and Benjamin under his control.
13The priests and the Levites from all over Israel joined Rehoboam. 14The Levites even left their pasturelands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons refused to let them serve as priests to the Lord. 15Jeroboam chose his own priests for the places of worship and for the goat and calf idols he had made. 16There were people from all the tribes of Israel who wanted to obey the Lord, the God of Israel. So they went to Jerusalem with the Levites to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 17These people made the kingdom of Judah strong, and they supported Solomon’s son Rehoboam for three years. During this time they lived the way David and Solomon had lived.
Rehoboam’s Family
18Rehoboam married Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth and Abihail. Jerimoth was David’s son, and Abihail was the daughter of Eliab, Jesse’s son. 19Mahalath gave Rehoboam these sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20Then Rehoboam married Absalom’s daughter Maacah, and she gave Rehoboam these children: Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21Rehoboam loved Maacah more than his other wives and slave women. Rehoboam had eighteen wives and sixty slave women and was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22Rehoboam chose Abijah son of Maacah to be the leader of his own brothers, because he planned to make Abijah king. 23Rehoboam acted wisely. He spread his sons through all the areas of Judah and Benjamin, sending them to every strong, walled city. He gave plenty of supplies to his sons, and he also found wives for them.
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