2 Chronicles 11

1When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.

2But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah the man of God:

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

4‘This is what Yahweh says: Do not go up or fight against your brothers. Go home, every one of you, for this thing is from me.’” So they obeyed the words of Yahweh and turned back from going against Jeroboam.

5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built cities for defense in Judah.

6He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

7Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,

8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,

9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.

11He strengthened the fortresses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, oil, and wine.

12In every city he put shields and spears and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.

13The priests and the Levites who were throughout all Israel came over to him from all their territories.

14For the Levites left their pasturelands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests of Yahweh.

15Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places, for the goat demons, and for the calves he had made.

16Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, followed them to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.

17They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

18Rehoboam married Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth son of David and of Abihail daughter of Eliab son of Jesse.

19She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

20After her he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

21Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines. He had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

22Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief, the leader among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.

23He acted wisely and dispersed some of his sons throughout all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and sought many wives for them.