耶和华禁止他们交战

11 罗波安回到耶路撒冷,从犹大和便雅悯支派召集了十八万精兵,要攻打以色列,收复全国。 然而,耶和华上帝对祂的仆人示玛雅说: “你去告诉所罗门的儿子犹大王罗波安和所有住在犹大和便雅悯的以色列人, 耶和华这样说,‘你们不要上去与弟兄交战,都回家吧,因为这事出于我。’”众人听从了耶和华的话,没有去攻打耶罗波安,各自回家去了。

罗波安加强防御

罗波安住在耶路撒冷,他在犹大修筑城池以作防御。 他修筑的城池有伯利恒、以坦、提哥亚、 伯·夙、梭哥、亚杜兰、 迦特、玛利沙、西弗、 亚多莱音、拉吉、亚西加、 10 琐拉、亚雅仑、希伯仑,这些都是犹大和便雅悯的坚城。 11 他又在各城池加强防御,派将领驻守,供给食物、油和酒。 12 他在城内储备盾牌和矛枪,使城池非常坚固。犹大和便雅悯都归属他。

祭司和利未人投奔犹大

13 以色列全境的祭司和利未人都从四面八方来投奔罗波安。 14 利未人撇下他们的草场和产业,来到犹大和耶路撒冷,因为耶罗波安和他的众子不准他们做祭司事奉耶和华。 15 耶罗波安却为丘坛、公山羊像和他造的牛犊像设立他自己的祭司。 16 以色列各支派中那些诚心寻求以色列的上帝耶和华的人,都跟随利未人到耶路撒冷献祭给他们祖先的上帝耶和华。 17 他们使犹大国坚固,他们效忠所罗门的儿子罗波安三年之久,并在此期间遵行大卫和所罗门的道。

罗波安的家室

18 罗波安娶了大卫的儿子耶利摩的女儿玛哈拉为妻,她母亲亚比孩是耶西的儿子以利押的女儿。 19 玛哈拉为他生了耶乌施、示玛利雅、撒罕三个儿子。 20 后来,他又娶了押沙龙的女儿玛迦[a],生了亚比雅、亚太、细撒、示罗密。 21 罗波安共有十八个妻子、六十个妾、二十八个儿子、六十个女儿。众妻妾中玛迦最得宠爱, 22 罗波安就立她所生的儿子亚比雅为太子,以便让他继承王位。 23 罗波安精明地把其他王子派驻到犹大和便雅悯境内的各坚城,给他们充足的供应和许多妻妾。

Footnotes

  1. 11:20 押沙龙的女儿玛迦”或译“押沙龙的孙女玛迦”。

耶和華禁止他們交戰

11 羅波安回到耶路撒冷,從猶大和便雅憫支派召集了十八萬精兵,要攻打以色列,收復全國。 然而,耶和華上帝對祂的僕人示瑪雅說: 「你去告訴所羅門的兒子猶大王羅波安和所有住在猶大和便雅憫的以色列人, 耶和華這樣說,『你們不要上去與弟兄交戰,都回家吧,因為這事出於我。』」眾人聽從了耶和華的話,沒有去攻打耶羅波安,各自回家去了。

羅波安加強防禦

羅波安住在耶路撒冷,他在猶大修築城池以作防禦。 他修築的城池有伯利恆、以坦、提哥亞、 伯·夙、梭哥、亞杜蘭、 迦特、瑪利沙、西弗、 亞多萊音、拉吉、亞西加、 10 瑣拉、亞雅崙、希伯崙,這些都是猶大和便雅憫的堅城。 11 他又在各城池加強防禦,派將領駐守,供給食物、油和酒。 12 他在城內儲備盾牌和矛槍,使城池非常堅固。猶大和便雅憫都歸屬他。

祭司和利未人投奔猶大

13 以色列全境的祭司和利未人都從四面八方來投奔羅波安。 14 利未人撇下他們的草場和產業,來到猶大和耶路撒冷,因為耶羅波安和他的眾子不准他們做祭司事奉耶和華。 15 耶羅波安卻為邱壇、公山羊像和他造的牛犢像設立他自己的祭司。 16 以色列各支派中那些誠心尋求以色列的上帝耶和華的人,都跟隨利未人到耶路撒冷獻祭給他們祖先的上帝耶和華。 17 他們使猶大國堅固,他們效忠所羅門的兒子羅波安三年之久,並在此期間遵行大衛和所羅門的道。

羅波安的家室

18 羅波安娶了大衛的兒子耶利摩的女兒瑪哈拉為妻,她母親亞比孩是耶西的兒子以利押的女兒。 19 瑪哈拉為他生了耶烏施、示瑪利雅、撒罕三個兒子。 20 後來,他又娶了押沙龍的女兒瑪迦[a],生了亞比雅、亞太、細撒、示羅密。 21 羅波安共有十八個妻子、六十個妾、二十八個兒子、六十個女兒。眾妻妾中瑪迦最得寵愛, 22 羅波安就立她所生的兒子亞比雅為太子,以便讓他繼承王位。 23 羅波安精明地把其他王子派駐到猶大和便雅憫境內的各堅城,給他們充足的供應和許多妻妾。

Footnotes

  1. 11·20 押沙龍的女兒瑪迦」或譯「押沙龍的孫女瑪迦」。

11 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from Judah and Benjamin[a] to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. But the Lord’s message came to the prophet[b] Shemaiah, “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin, ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’”[c] They obeyed the Lord and called off the attack against Jeroboam.[d]

Rehoboam’s Reign

Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem; he built up these fortified cities throughout Judah: Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11 He fortified these cities and placed officers in them, as well as storehouses of food, olive oil, and wine. 12 In each city there were shields and spears; he strongly fortified them.[e] Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

13 The priests and Levites who lived throughout Israel supported him, no matter where they resided.[f] 14 The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving as the Lord’s priests. 15 Jeroboam[g] appointed his own priests to serve at the worship centers[h] and to lead in the worship of the goat idols and calf idols he had made.[i] 16 Those among all the Israelite tribes who were determined to worship the Lord God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem[j] to sacrifice to the Lord God of their ancestors.[k] 17 They supported[l] the kingdom of Judah and were loyal to[m] Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years; they followed the edicts of[n] David and Solomon for three years.

18 Rehoboam married[o] Mahalath the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of[p] Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 19 She bore him sons named Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 He later married Maacah the daughter of Absalom. She bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than his other wives and concubines.[q] He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as the leader over his brothers, for he intended to name him his successor.[r] 23 He wisely placed some of his many sons throughout the regions of Judah and Benjamin in the various fortified cities.[s] He supplied them with abundant provisions and acquired many wives for them.[t]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 11:1 tn Heb “he summoned the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men, accomplished in war.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 11:2 tn Heb “man of God.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 11:4 tn Heb “for this thing is from me.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 11:4 tn Heb “and they heard the words of the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 11:12 tn Heb “he strengthened them greatly, very much.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 11:13 tn Heb “and the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel supported him from all their territory.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 11:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. 2 Chronicles 11:15 tn Heb “for the high places.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 11:15 tn Heb “and for the goats and for the calves that he had made.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 11:16 tn Heb “and after them from all the tribes of Israel, the ones giving their heart[s] to seek the Lord God of Israel came [to] Jerusalem.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 11:16 tn Heb “fathers.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 11:17 tn Or “strengthened.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 11:17 tn Or “strengthened.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 11:17 tn Heb “they walked in the way of.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 11:18 tn Heb “took for himself a wife.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 11:18 tn The words “and of” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  17. 2 Chronicles 11:21 sn Concubines were slave women in ancient Near Eastern societies who were the legal property of their master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with their master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10-14; 1 Kgs 11:3).
  18. 2 Chronicles 11:22 tn Heb “and Rehoboam appointed for a head Abijah son of Maacah for ruler among his brothers, indeed to make him king.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 11:23 tn Heb “and he was discerning and broke up from all his sons to all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 11:23 tn “and he asked for a multitude of wives.”