2 Chronicles 12

1 And when the kingdom of Rehoboam had been strengthened and fortified, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all of Israel with him.

Now when Rehoboam's position as king had been made certain, and he was strong, he gave up the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.

2 Then, in the fifth year of the reign of Rehoboam, Shishak, the king of Egypt, ascended against Jerusalem (for they had sinned against the Lord)

Now in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem, because of their sin against the Lord,

3 with one thousand two hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. And the common people could not be numbered who had arrived with him from Egypt, namely, the Libyans, and the Troglodytes, and the Ethiopians.

With twelve hundred war-carriages and sixty thousand horsemen: and the people who came with him out of Egypt were more than might be numbered: Lubim and Sukkiim and Ethiopians.

4 And he seized the most fortified cities in Judah, and he went even to Jerusalem.

And he took the walled towns of Judah, and came as far as Jerusalem.

5 Then Shemaiah, the prophet, entered to Rehoboam, and to the leaders of Judah who had gathered together in Jerusalem while fleeing from Shishak, and he said to them: “Thus says the Lord: You have abandoned me, and so I have abandoned you into the hand of Shishak.”

Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the chiefs of Judah, who had come together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, The Lord has said, Because you have given me up, I have given you up into the hands of Shishak.

6 And the leaders of Israel, and the king, being in consternation, said, “The Lord is just.”

Then the chiefs of Israel and the king made themselves low and said, The Lord is upright.

7 And when the Lord had seen that they were humbled, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying: “Because they have been humbled, I will not disperse them. And I will give to them a little help, and my fury will not rain down upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

And the Lord, seeing that they had made themselves low, said to Shemaiah, They have made themselves low: I will not send destruction on them, but in a short time I will give them salvation, and will not let loose my wrath on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

8 Yet truly, they shall serve him, so that they may know the difference between my servitude, and the servitude of a kingdom of the lands.”

But still they will become his servants, so that they may see how different my yoke is from the yoke of the kingdoms of the lands.

9 And so Shishak, the king of Egypt, withdrew from Jerusalem, taking up the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the house of the king. And he took away everything with him, even the gold shields that Solomon had made.

So Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem and took away all the stored wealth of the house of the Lord and the king's house: he took everything away, and with the rest the gold body-covers which Solomon had made.

10 In place of these, the king made bronze ones, and he delivered them to the leaders of the shield bearers, who were guarding the vestibule of the palace.

And in their place King Rehoboam had other body-covers made of brass and gave them into the care of the captains of the armed men who were stationed at the door of the king's house.

11 And when the king would enter into the house of the Lord, the shield bearers would arrive and take them, and they would carry them back to their armory.

And whenever the king went into the house of the Lord, the armed men went with him taking the body-covers, and then took them back to their room.

12 Yet truly, because they were humbled, the wrath of the Lord turned away from them, and so they were not utterly destroyed. And indeed, good works were also found in Judah.

And when he made himself low, the wrath of the Lord was turned back from him, and complete destruction did not come on him, for there was still some good in Judah.

13 Therefore, king Rehoboam was strengthened in Jerusalem, and he reigned. He was forty-one years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord chose out of all the tribes of Israel, so that he might confirm his name there. Now the name of his mother was Naamah, an Ammonite.

So King Rehoboam made himself strong in Jerusalem and was ruling there. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he was ruling for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the town which the Lord had made his out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there; and his mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonite woman.

14 But he did evil, and he did not prepare his heart so as to seek the Lord.

And he did evil because his heart was not true to the Lord.

15 Truly, the works of Rehoboam, the first and the last, have been written in the books of Shemaiah, the prophet, and of Iddo, the seer, and diligently set forth. And Rehoboam and Jeroboam fought against one another during all their days.

Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not recorded in the words of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David. And his son, Abijah, reigned in his place.

And Rehoboam went to rest with his fathers, and was put into the earth in the town of David; and Abijah his son became king in his place.