Chapter 11

¹ When Rehoboam reached Jerusalem, he mustered one hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors of the house of Judah and Benjamin to fight against David and restore the kingdom to him. ² However, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, the man of God: ³ “Say to Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin: ⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord: You are not to march out to fight against your brothers. Return home, every single one of you, for this is my doing.’ ” Therefore, they obeyed the command of the Lord and turned back from their campaign against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam’s Works. ⁵ Rehoboam took up residence in Jerusalem, and he built a number of fortified cities in Judah. ⁶ He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoram, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.

¹¹ He then strengthened the defenses of these fortifications and stationed commanders in them, as well as supplies of food, oil, and wine. ¹² He also supplied all the cities with large shields and spears of great strength. Thus he retained control of Judah and Benjamin.

¹³ Jeroboam’s Priests. The priests and the Levites throughout Israel placed themselves at Rehoboam’s disposal. ¹⁴ Actually the Levites had abandoned their pasture lands and their holdings and had come to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected their services as priests of the Lord. ¹⁵ Jeroboam therefore appointed his own priests for the high places and for the satyrs and calves he had made.

¹⁶ On the other hand, those who were determined to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁷ They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, secure, for they followed the example of David and Solomon for three years.

¹⁸ Rehoboam’s Wives. Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David, and whose mother was Abihail, the daughter of Eliab son of Jesse. ¹⁹ She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

²⁰ After her he married Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, more than all his other wives and concubines. He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

²² Rehoboam appointed Abijah, the son of Maacah, as the chief prince among his brothers, inasmuch as he intended to make him king. ²³ He acted wisely by distributing some of his sons throughout all the districts of Judah and Benjamin in all the fortified cities. He also gave them copious provisions and obtained a number of wives for them.