The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Chronicles 11
1 When Rehoboam had come to
Jerusalem, he assembled the house of
Judah and Benjamin, one hundred eighty
thousand chosen men who were warriors,
tofight againstIsrael,to bring the kingdom
again to Rehoboam.
2 But Yahweh’s word came to Shemaiah
the man of God, saying,
3 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of
Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel
in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 ‘Yahweh says, “You shall not go up, nor
fight against your brothers! Every man return to his house;
for this thing is of me. So they listened to Yahweh’s words, and
returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboamlived inJerusalem, and built
cities for defense in Judah.
6 He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are
fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin.
11 He fortified the strongholds and put
captains in them with stores of food, oil
and wine.
12He put shields and spears in every city,
and made them exceedingly strong. Judah
and Benjamin belonged to him.
13 The priests and the Levites who were
in all Israel stood with him out of all their
territory.
14 For the Levites left their pasture lands
and their possessions, and came to Judah
and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons
cast them off, that they should not execute
the priest’s office to Yahweh.
15 He himself appointed priests for the
high places,for the male goat and calfidols
which he had made.
16 After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those who settheir hearts to seek
Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem
to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their
fathers.
17 So they strengthened the kingdom of
Judah and made Rehoboam the son of
Solomon strong for three years, for they
walked three years inthe way of David and
Solomon.
18 Rehoboam took a wife for himself, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of
David and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab
the son of Jesse.
19 She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah,
and Zaham.
20 After her, he took Maacah the granddaughter of Absalom; and she bore him
Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 Rehoboam loved Maacah the granddaughter of Absalom above all his wives
and his concubines; for he took eighteen
wives and sixty concubines, and became
the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty
daughters.
22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son
of Maacah to be chief, the prince among
his brothers, for he intended to make him
king.
23 He dealt wisely, and dispersed some
of his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city.
He gave them food in abundance; and he
sought many wives for them.