The Second Book of Chronicles (WEB)
11: 1When Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin,
one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the
kingdom again to Rehoboam. 11:2But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah the man of God,
saying, 11:3Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and
Benjamin, saying, 11:4Thus says Yahweh, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers:
return every man to his house; for this thing is of me. So they listened to the words of Yahweh,
and returned from going against Jeroboam. 11:5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for
defense in Judah. 11:6He built Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, 11:7Beth-zur, and Soco, and
Adullam, 11:8and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph, 11:9and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, 11:10and
Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities. 11:11He
fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of victuals, and oil and wine. 11:12In
every city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. Judah and Benjamin
belonged to him. 11:13The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel resorted to him out of all
their border. 11:14For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, 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; 11:15and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the male goats, and for the
calves which he had made. 11:16After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to
seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their
fathers. 11:17So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon
strong, three years; for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon. 11:18Rehoboam
took him a wife, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter
of Eliab the son of Jesse; 11:19and she bore him sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham. 11:20After
her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and
Shelomith. 11:21Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter 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.) 11:22Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be
chief, even the prince among his brothers; for he was minded to make him king. 11:23He dealt
wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every
fortified city: and he gave them victuals in abundance. He sought for them many wives.
World English Bible