2 Chronicles 11

1 And Rehoboam comes to Jerusalem, and assembles the house of Judah and Benjamin—one hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors—to fight with Israel, to bring back the kingdom to Rehoboam.

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.

2 And a word of YHWH is to Shemaiah, a man of God, saying,

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

3 “Speak to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,

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

4 Thus said YHWH: You do not go up nor fight with your brothers! Let each return to his house, for this thing has been from Me”; and they hear the words of YHWH, and turn back from going against Jeroboam.

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.

5 And Rehoboam dwells in Jerusalem, and builds cities for a bulwark in Judah,

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

6 indeed, he builds Beth-Lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,

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

7 and Beth-Zur, and Shocho, and Adullam,

And Beth-zur and Soco and Adullam

8 and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,

And Gath and Mareshah and Ziph

9 and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,

And Adoraim and Lachish and Azekah

10 and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, that [are] in Judah and in Benjamin, cities of bulwarks.

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

11 And he strengthens the bulwarks, and puts leaders in them, and treasures of food, and oil, and wine,

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

12 and in each and every city [he puts] bucklers and spears, and strengthens them very greatly; and he has Judah and Benjamin.

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

13 And the priests and the Levites that [are] in all Israel have stationed themselves by him, out of all their border,

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

14 for the Levites have left their outskirts and their possession, and they come to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons have cast them off from acting as priests for YHWH,

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;

15 and he establishes for himself priests for high places, and for goat [idols] and for calf [idols] that he made.

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

16 And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those giving their heart to seek YHWH, God of Israel, have come to Jerusalem to sacrifice to YHWH, God of their father.

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.

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

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.

18 And Rehoboam takes a wife for himself, Mahalath, child of Jerimoth son of David, [and of] Abigail daughter of Eliab son of Jesse.

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;

19 And she bears sons to him: Jeush, and Shamaria, and Zaham.

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

20 And after her he has taken Maachah daughter of Absalom, and she bears to him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.

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

21 And Rehoboam loves Maachah daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines—for he has taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines—and he begets twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

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.)

22 And Rehoboam appoints Abijah son of Maachah for head, for leader among his brothers, for to cause him to reign.

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

23 And he has understanding, and disperses from all his sons to all lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all cities of the bulwarks, and gives provision in abundance to them; and he asks for a multitude of wives [for them].

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.