2 Chronicles 11

Rehoboam Fortifies Judah & People Come Home

1 When Rehoboam got to Jerusalem, he rounded up a hundred eighty thousand choice warriors from Judah and Benjamin to fight against Israel and get the kingdom back for Rehoboam.

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

3 “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,”

4 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not go up and do not fight against your brothers! Everybody go back to their own cribs, because this whole thing came from Me.’” So they listened to the word of the Lord and bounced back, and did not go against Jeroboam.

5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up fortified cities in Judah.

6 He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,

8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,

9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

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

11 He strengthened the fortresses and put commanders in them, and stocked them with food, olive oil, and wine.

12 He put shields and spears in every city and made them super strong. So he held onto Judah and Benjamin.

Priests & Levites Come to Judah

13 Now, the priests and Levites from all over Israel left their territories and came to him.

14 Because the Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had stopped them from serving as priests to the Lord.

15 Jeroboam had appointed his own priests for the high places, and for the goat-idols and the calves he had made.

16 Those from all the tribes of Israel who were serious about seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed them to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

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

Rehoboam’s Family

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

19 She birthed him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

20 After her, he took Maacah daughter of Absalom. She birthed him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and side chicks. He had eighteen wives and sixty side chicks, and he had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

22 Rehoboam made Abijah son of Maacah chief, the leader among his brothers, because he planned to make him king.

23 He acted wisely and scattered some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities. He gave them plenty of food and also hooked them up with a bunch of wives.