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耶和华禁止他们交战(A)

11 罗波安回到耶路撒冷,就召集犹大家和便雅悯家,共十八万人,都是精兵,要和以色列人交战,好把王国夺回,再归自己。 但耶和华的话临到神人示玛雅,说: “你要告诉所罗门的儿子、犹大王罗波安,以及所有住在犹大和便雅悯的以色列人,说: ‘耶和华这样说:你们不可上去,也不可和你们的兄弟交战。你们各自回家去吧,因为这事是出于我。’”于是他们听从耶和华的话,都回家,不去攻打耶罗波安。

罗波安的建树

罗波安住在耶路撒冷,他在犹大建造了多座设防城。 他修筑了伯利恒、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境内的设防城。 11 他又巩固这些设防城,在城里设军长,贮备粮食、油和酒。 12 又在各城装备了大盾牌和矛枪,使这些城市十分坚固。这样,犹大和便雅悯都在他统治之下。

祭司与利未人都来归罗波安

13 全以色列的祭司和利未人,都从各地来归向罗波安。 14 利未人放弃了他们的草场和产业,来到犹大和耶路撒冷,是因为耶罗波安和他的儿子排斥他们,不准他们作祭司事奉耶和华。 15 耶罗波安为邱坛、公山羊神,以及他铸造的牛犊,自己设立了祭司。 16 以色列众支派中所有定意寻求耶和华以色列的 神的,都随着利未人来到耶路撒冷,向耶和华他们列祖的 神献祭。 17 这样,他们就加强了犹大国的势力,使所罗门的儿子罗波安强盛了三年,因为他们在这三年,跟随了大卫和所罗门的道路。

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作妻子,她也就是耶西的儿子以利押的女儿亚比孩的女儿; 19 她给罗波安生了几个儿子,就是耶乌施、示玛利雅和撒罕。 20 后来,罗波安又娶了押沙龙的外孙女玛迦;玛迦给他生了亚比雅、亚太、细撒和示罗密。 21 罗波安共娶了十八个妻子和六十个妾;共生了二十八个儿子,六十个女儿;他却爱押沙龙的外孙女玛迦,胜过其他的妻妾。 22 于是罗波安立了玛迦的儿子亚比雅作太子,在他的兄弟中为首,因为罗波安想立他继承王位。 23 罗波安很有智慧地把自己的儿子分散在犹大和便雅悯各地的设防城中,供给他们大批粮食,又为他们娶了多位妻子。

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.”