2 Chronicles 11

1 And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, and got together the men of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand of his best fighting-men, to make war against Israel and get the kingdom back for Rehoboam.

And Roboam came to Jerusalem; and he assembled Juda and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand young men fit for war, and he waged war with Israel to recover the kingdom to Roboam.

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

And the Word of the Lord came to Samaias the man of God, saying,

3 Say to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,

Speak to Roboam the [son] of Solomon, and to all Juda and Benjamin, saying,

4 The Lord has said, You are not to go to war against your brothers: let every man go back to his house, for this thing is my purpose. So they gave ear to the words of the Lord and were turned back from fighting against Jeroboam.

Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up, and you shall not war against your brethren: return every one to his home; for this thing is of me. And they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

5 Now Rehoboam kept in Jerusalem, building walled towns in Judah.

And Roboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built walled cities in Judea.

6 He was the builder of Beth-lehem and Etam and Tekoa

And he built Bethleem, and Aetan and Thecoe,

7 And Beth-zur and Soco and Adullam

and Baethsura, and Sochoth, and Odollam,

8 And Gath and Mareshah and Ziph

and Geth, and Marisa, and Ziph,

9 And Adoraim and Lachish and Azekah

and Adorai, and Lachis, and Azeca,

10 And Zorah and Aijalon and Hebron, walled towns in Judah and Benjamin.

and Saraa, and Aelom, and Chebron, which belong to Juda and Benjamin, walled cities.

11 And he made the walled towns strong, and he put captains in them and stores of food, oil, and wine.

And he fortified them with walls, and placed in them captains, and stores of provisions, oil and wine,

12 And in every town he put stores of body-covers and spears, and made them very strong. And Judah and Benjamin were his.

shields and spears in every several city, and he fortified them very strongly, and he had on his side Juda and Benjamin.

13 And the priests and Levites who were in all Israel came together to him from every part of their country.

And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel were gathered to him out of all the coasts.

14 For the Levites gave up their living-places and their property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons had sent them away, not letting them be priests to the Lord;

For the Levites left the tents of their possession, and went to Juda to Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had ejected them so that they should not minister to the Lord.

15 And he himself made priests for the high places, and for the images of he-goats and oxen which he had made.

And he made for himself priests of the high places, and for the idols, and for the vanities, and for the calves which Jeroboam made.

16 And after them, from all the tribes of Israel, all those whose hearts were fixed and true to the Lord, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to make offerings to the Lord, the God of their fathers.

And he cast out from the tribes of Israel those who set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel: and they came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers.

17 So they went on increasing the power of the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, strong for three years; and for three years they went in the ways of David and Solomon.

And they strengthened the kingdom of Juda; and [Juda] strengthened Roboam the [son] of Solomon for three years, for he walked three years in the ways of David and Solomon.

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

And Roboam took to himself for a wife, Moolath daughter of Jerimuth the son of David, and Abigaia daughter of Heliab the son of Jessae.

19 And she had sons by him, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

And she bore him sons; Jeus, and Samoria, and Zaam.

20 And after her he took Maacah, the daughter of Absalom; and she had Abijah and Attai and Ziza and Shelomith by him.

And afterwards he took to himself Maacha the daughter of Abessalom; and she bore him Abia, and Jetthi, and Zeza, and Salemoth.

21 Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, was dearer to Rehoboam than all his wives and his servant-wives: (for he had eighteen wives and sixty servant-wives, and was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.)

And Roboam loved Maacha the daughter of Abessalom more than all his wives and all his concubines: for he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; and he begot twenty-eight sons, and sixty daughters.

22 Rehoboam made Abijah, the son of Maacah, chief and ruler among his brothers, for it was his purpose to make him king.

And he made Abia the son of Maacha chief, [even] a leader amongst his brethren, for he intended to make him king.

23 And in his wisdom he had his sons stationed in every walled town through all the lands of Judah and Benjamin; and he gave them a great store of food, and took wives for them.

And he was exalted beyond all his [other] sons in all the coasts of Juda and Benjamin, and in the strong cities; and he gave them provisions in great abundance: and he desired many wives.