Ii Paralipomenon 11
1 Venit autem Roboam in Ierusalem, et convocavit universam domum Iuda et Beniamin, centum octoginta millia electorum atque bellantium, ut dimicaret contra Israel, et converteret ad se regnum suum.
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 Factusque est sermo Domini ad Semeiam hominem Dei, dicens:
But Yahweh spoke to the prophet Shemaiah and said this to him:
3 Loquere ad Roboam filium Salomonis regem Iuda, et ad universum Israel, qui est in Iuda et Beniamin:
“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 Hæc dicit Dominus: Non ascendetis, neque pugnabitis contra fratres vestros: revertatur unusquisque in domum suam, quia mea hoc gestum est voluntate. Qui cum audissent sermonem Domini reversi sunt, nec perrexerunt contra Ieroboam.
‘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 Habitavit autem Roboam in Ierusalem, et ædificavit civitates muratas in Iuda.
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 Extruxitque Bethlehem, et Etam, et Thecue,
In [the area that belonged to] the tribes of Judah and Benjamin they built walls around Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Bethsur quoque, et Socho, et Odollam,
Beth-Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 necnon et Geth, et Maresa, et Ziph,
Gath, Mareshah,
9 sed et Aduram, et Lachis, et Azeca,
Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Saraa quoque, et Aialon, et Hebron, quæ erant in Iuda et Beniamin, civitates munitissimas.
Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron.
11 Cumque clausisset eas muris, posuit in eis principes, ciborumque horrea, hoc est, olei, et vini.
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 Sed et in singulis urbibus fecit armamentarium scutorum et hastarum, firmavitque eas summa diligentia, et imperavit super Iudam, et Beniamin.
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 Sacerdotes autem et Levitæ, qui erant in universo Israel, venerunt ad eum de cunctis sedibus suis,
The priests and other descendants of Levi throughout Israel supported Rehoboam.
14 relinquentes suburbana, et possessiones suas, et transeuntes ad Iudam, et Ierusalem: eo quod abiecisset eos Ieroboam, et posteri eius, ne sacerdotio Domini fungerentur.
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 Qui constituit sibi sacerdotes excelsorum, et dæmoniorum, vitulorumque quos fecerat.
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 Sed et de cunctis tribubus Israel, quicumque dederant cor suum ut quærerent Dominum Deum Israel, venerunt in Ierusalem ad immolandum victimas suas coram Domino Deo patrum suorum.
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 Et roboraverunt regnum Iuda, et confirmaverunt Roboam filium Salomonis per tres annos: ambulaverunt enim in viis David et Salomonis, annis tantum tribus.
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 Duxit autem Roboam uxorem Mahalath, filiam Ierimoth, filii David: Abihail quoque filiam Eliab filii Isai,
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 quæ peperit ei filios Iehus, et Somoriam, et Zoom.
Rehoboam and Mahalath had three sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 Post hanc quoque accepit Maacha filiam Absalom, quæ peperit ei Abia, et Ethai, et Ziza, et Salomith.
Later Rehoboam married Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, and they had four sons: Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 Amavit autem Roboam Maacha filiam Absalom super omnes uxores suas, et concubinas: nam uxores decem et octo duxerat, concubinas autem sexaginta: et genuit viginti octo filios, et sexaginta filias.
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 Constituit vero in capite, Abiam filium Maacha ducem super omnes fratres suos: ipsum enim regem facere cogitabat,
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 quia sapientior fuit, et potentior super omnes filios eius, et in cunctis finibus Iuda, et Beniamin, et in universis civitatibus muratis: præbuitque eis escas plurimas, et multas petivit uxores.
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.
