Shishak Attacks Jerusalem^(A)

12 After Rehoboam’s kingdom was ·set up [secure; consolidated; established] and he became strong, he and the people of Judah ·stopped obeying [abandoned; forsook] the ·teachings [instructions; laws] of the Lord. ² During the fifth year Rehoboam was king, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, because Rehoboam and the people were unfaithful to the Lord. ³ Shishak had twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand ·horsemen [or horses]. He brought troops of ·Libyans [Lubim], Sukkites, and Cushites [^CEthiopians] from Egypt with him, so many they couldn’t be counted. ⁴ Shishak captured the ·strong, walled [fortified] cities of Judah and ·came as far as [advanced on/to] Jerusalem.

⁵ Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the ·leaders [officers; officials] of Judah who had gathered in Jerusalem because they were afraid of Shishak. Shemaiah said to them, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have ·left [abandoned; forsaken] me, so now I will ·leave you to face Shishak alone [abandon/forsake you to Shishak].’”

⁶ Then the ·leaders [officers; officials] of ·Judah [^LIsrael; ^Csometimes the name Israel refers specifically to Judah] and King Rehoboam ·were sorry for what they had done [humbled themselves]. They said, “The Lord ·does what is right [is just/fair/righteous].”

⁷ When the Lord saw they ·were sorry for what they had done [humbled themselves], the Lord spoke his word to Shemaiah, saying, “·The king and the leaders are sorry [They have humbled themselves]. So I will not destroy them but will ·save [rescue; ^Tdeliver] them soon. I will not use Shishak to ·punish Jerusalem in [pour out on Jerusalem] my anger. ⁸ But the people of Jerusalem will become Shishak’s ·servants [subjects; slaves] so they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the ·kings [kingdoms] of other nations.”

⁹ Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took the treasures from the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord and the king’s ·palace [^Lhouse]. He took everything, even the gold shields Solomon had made. ¹⁰ So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to take their place and ·gave [entrusted] them to the ·commanders [officers] of the guards for the ·palace gates [doors of the king’s house]. ¹¹ Whenever the king went to the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord, the guards went with him, carrying the shields. Later, they would put them back in the guardroom.

¹² When Rehoboam ·was sorry for what he had done [humbled himself], the Lord held his anger back and did not ·fully [completely] destroy Rehoboam. ·There was some [or Conditions/Things were] good in Judah.

¹³ King Rehoboam ·made himself a strong king [strengthened/established himself] in Jerusalem. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] in Jerusalem for seventeen years. Jerusalem is the city that the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel in which ·he was to be worshiped [^Lto put his name]. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah from the country of Ammon. ¹⁴ Rehoboam did evil because he did not ·want to obey [^Lset/commit his heart to seek] the Lord.

¹⁵ The ·things Rehoboam did as king [events/acts/history of Rehoboam], from ·the beginning to the end [first to last], ·are [^Lare they not…?] written in the ·records [annals] of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the ·seer [prophet], in the ·family histories [genealogical records]. There were continual wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. ¹⁶ Rehoboam ·died [^Llay down/^Tslept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in the City of David [^CJerusalem], and his son Abijah became king in his place.