2 דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים 11

1 וַיָּבֹ֣א רְחַבְעָם֮ יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם֒ וַיַּקְהֵל֩ אֶת־בֵּ֨ית יְהוּדָ֜ה וּבִנְיָמִ֗ן מֵאָ֨ה וּשְׁמֹונִ֥ים אֶ֛לֶף בָּח֖וּר עֹשֵׂ֣ה מִלְחָמָ֑ה לְהִלָּחֵם֙ עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לְהָשִׁ֥יב אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָ֖ה לִרְחַבְעָֽם׃ פ

When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He wanted them to fight against [the northern tribes of] Israel [and defeat them], in order that he could rule [all the tribes of] the kingdom again.

2 וַיְהִי֙ דְּבַר־יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־שְׁמַֽעְיָ֥הוּ אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים לֵאמֹֽר׃

But Yahweh spoke to the prophet Shemaiah and said this to him:

3 אֱמֹ֕ר אֶל־רְחַבְעָ֥ם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֑ה וְאֶל֙ כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בִּיהוּדָ֥ה וּבִנְיָמִ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃

“Go and tell this to [Solomon’s son] Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the Israeli people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin:

4 כֹּ֣ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֡ה לֹא־תַעֲלוּ֩ וְלֹא־תִלָּ֨חֲמ֜וּ עִם־אֲחֵיכֶ֗ם שׁ֚וּבוּ אִ֣ישׁ לְבֵיתֹ֔ו כִּ֧י מֵֽאִתִּ֛י נִהְיָ֖ה הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה וַֽיִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה וַיָּשֻׁ֖בוּ מִלֶּ֥כֶת אֶל־יָרָבְעָֽם׃ פ

‘Yahweh says that you must not go to fight against [the people of Israel; they are] your distant relatives. All of you must go home. What has happened is what Yahweh wanted to happen.’” [So Shemaiah went and told that to them, ] and they all heeded what Yahweh had commanded them to do, and they did not attack Jeroboam [and his soldiers].

5 וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב רְחַבְעָ֖ם בִּירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וַיִּ֧בֶן עָרִ֛ים לְמָצֹ֖ור בִּיהוּדָֽה׃

Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and his workers built walls around several of the cities and towns in Judah to protect them [against enemy attacks].

6 וַיִּ֧בֶן אֶת־בֵּֽית־לֶ֛חֶם וְאֶת־עֵיטָ֖ם וְאֶת־תְּקֹֽועַ׃

In [the area that belonged to] the tribes of Judah and Benjamin they built walls around Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

7 וְאֶת־בֵּֽית־צ֥וּר וְאֶת־שֹׂוכֹ֖ו וְאֶת־עֲדֻלָּֽם׃

Beth-Zur, Soco, Adullam,

8 וְאֶת־גַּ֥ת וְאֶת־מָרֵשָׁ֖ה וְאֶת־זִֽיף׃

Gath, Mareshah,

9 וְאֶת־אֲדֹורַ֥יִם וְאֶת־לָכִ֖ישׁ וְאֶת־עֲזֵקָֽה׃

Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

10 וְאֶת־צָרְעָה֙ וְאֶת־אַיָּלֹ֔ון וְאֶת־חֶבְרֹ֔ון אֲשֶׁ֥ר בִּיהוּדָ֖ה וּבְבִנְיָמִ֑ן עָרֵ֖י מְצֻרֹֽות׃

Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron.

11 וַיְחַזֵּ֖ק אֶת־הַמְּצֻרֹ֑ות וַיִּתֵּ֤ן בָּהֶם֙ נְגִידִ֔ים וְאֹצְרֹ֥ות מַאֲכָ֖ל וְשֶׁ֥מֶן וָיָֽיִן׃

He also appointed an army commander in each of those cities and towns, and gave them supplies of food, olive oil, and wine [to keep in storage].

12 וּבְכָל־עִ֤יר וָעִיר֙ צִנֹּ֣ות וּרְמָחִ֔ים וַֽיְחַזְּקֵ֖ם לְהַרְבֵּ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד וַיְהִי־לֹ֖ו יְהוּדָ֥ה וּבִנְיָמִֽן׃ ס

He put shields and spears in all the cities and made them well-protected. So he continued to rule the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

13 וְהַכֹּהֲנִים֙ וְהַלְוִיִּ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הִֽתְיַצְּב֥וּ עָלָ֖יו מִכָּל־גְּבוּלָֽם׃

The priests and other descendants of Levi throughout Israel supported Rehoboam.

14 כִּֽי־עָזְב֣וּ הַלְוִיִּ֗ם אֶת־מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם֙ וַאֲחֻזָּתָ֔ם וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ לִיהוּדָ֖ה וְלִֽירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם כִּֽי־הִזְנִיחָ֤ם יָֽרָבְעָם֙ וּבָנָ֔יו מִכַּהֵ֖ן לַיהוָֽה׃

The descendants of Levi [who lived outside the territory of Judah and Benjamin] abandoned their property and their pastureland, and they came to Jerusalem and [to other places in] Judah, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to do the work of priests of Yahweh.

15 וַיַּֽעֲמֶד־לֹו֙ כֹּֽהֲנִ֔ים לַבָּמֹ֖ות וְלַשְּׂעִירִ֑ים וְלָעֲגָלִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃

Instead, Jeroboam appointed the priests that he wanted to work [at the altars he commanded to be built] on the hilltops, [to offer sacrifices to] the idols that he commanded to be made [that resembled] goats and calves.

16 וְאַחֲרֵיהֶ֗ם מִכֹּל֙ שִׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַנֹּֽתְנִים֙ אֶת־לְבָבָ֔ם לְבַקֵּ֕שׁ אֶת־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בָּ֚אוּ יְר֣וּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם לִזְבֹּ֕וחַ לַיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י אֲבֹותֵיהֶֽם׃

And people from every tribe in Israel who wanted to worship Yahweh, the God to whom the Israelis belonged, went with the descendants of Levi to Jerusalem to live there and to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped].

17 וַֽיְחַזְּקוּ֙ אֶת־מַלְכ֣וּת יְהוּדָ֔ה וַֽיְאַמְּצ֛וּ אֶת־רְחַבְעָ֥ם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה לְשָׁנִ֣ים שָׁלֹ֑ושׁ כִּ֣י הָֽלְכ֗וּ בְּדֶ֧רֶךְ דָּוִ֛יד וּשְׁלֹמֹ֖ה לְשָׁנִ֥ים שָׁלֹֽושׁ׃

They caused the kingdom of Judah to be strong, and for three years they were happy that Solomon’s son Rehoboam was the king. During that time they conducted their lives [righteously] as David and Solomon had done previously.

18 וַיִּֽקַּֽח־לֹ֤ו רְחַבְעָם֙ אִשָּׁ֔ה אֶת־מָ֣חֲלַ֔ת בֶּן (בַּת)־יְרִימֹ֖ות בֶּן־דָּוִ֑יד אֲבִיהַ֕יִל בַּת־אֱלִיאָ֖ב בֶּן־יִשָֽׁי׃

Rehoboam married Mahalath. She was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth, and her mother was Abihail, the daughter of Eliab and granddaughter of Jesse.

19 וַתֵּ֥לֶד לֹ֖ו בָּנִ֑ים אֶת־יְע֥וּשׁ וְאֶת־שְׁמַרְיָ֖ה וְאֶת־זָֽהַם׃

Rehoboam and Mahalath had three sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

20 וְאַחֲרֶ֣יהָ לָקַ֔ח אֶֽת־מַעֲכָ֖ה בַּת־אַבְשָׁלֹ֑ום וַתֵּ֣לֶד לֹ֗ו אֶת־אֲבִיָּה֙ וְאֶת־עַתַּ֔י וְאֶת־זִיזָ֖א וְאֶת־שְׁלֹמִֽית׃

Later Rehoboam married Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, and they had four sons: Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

21 וַיֶּאֱהַ֨ב רְחַבְעָ֜ם אֶת־מַעֲכָ֣ה בַת־אַבְשָׁלֹ֗ום מִכָּל־נָשָׁיו֙ וּפִ֣ילַגְשָׁ֔יו כִּ֠י נָשִׁ֤ים שְׁמֹונֶֽה־עֶשְׂרֵה֙ נָשָׂ֔א וּפִֽילַגְשִׁ֖ים שִׁשִּׁ֑ים וַיֹּ֗ולֶד עֶשְׂרִ֧ים וּשְׁמֹונָ֛ה בָּנִ֖ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים בָּנֹֽות׃

Rehoboam loved Maacah more than he loved any other of his wives and slave wives. Altogether he had 18 wives and 60 slave wives, and 28 sons and 60 daughters.

22 וַיַּֽעֲמֵ֨ד לָרֹ֧אשׁ רְחַבְעָ֛ם אֶת־אֲבִיָּ֥ה בֶֽן־מַעֲכָ֖ה לְנָגִ֣יד בְּאֶחָ֑יו כִּ֖י לְהַמְלִיכֹֽו׃

Rehoboam appointed his son Abijah to be the leader of his [older and younger] brothers, because he wanted to appoint Abijah to be the next king.

23 וַיָּבֶן֩ וַיִּפְרֹ֨ץ מִכָּל־בָּנָ֜יו לְֽכָל־אַרְצֹ֧ות יְהוּדָ֣ה וּבִנְיָמִ֗ן לְכֹל֙ עָרֵ֣י הַמְּצֻרֹ֔ות וַיִּתֵּ֥ן לָהֶ֛ם הַמָּזֹ֖ון לָרֹ֑ב וַיִּשְׁאַ֖ל הֲמֹ֥ון נָשִֽׁים׃

He very wisely sent some of his other sons to other cities in the areas of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the other cities that had walls around them. He gave them plenty of supplies and many wives.