Shishak’s Invasion

12 When Rehoboam had established his sovereignty and royal power,^(A) he abandoned the law of the Lord—he and all Israel with him. ² Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak^(B) king of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem^{(C) 3} with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 cavalrymen, and countless people who came with him from Egypt—Libyans,^(D) Sukkiim, and Cushites. ⁴ He captured the fortified cities^(E) of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

⁵ Then Shemaiah^(F) the prophet went to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them: “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have abandoned Me; therefore, I have abandoned you into the hand of Shishak.’”^(G)

⁶ So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “Yahweh is righteous.”^(H)

⁷ When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the Lord’s message came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them but will grant them a little deliverance.^(I) My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.^{(J) 8} However, they will become his servants so that they may recognize the difference between serving Me and serving the kingdoms of other lands.”^(K)

⁹ So King Shishak of Egypt went to war^(L) against Jerusalem.^(M) He seized the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took the gold shields that Solomon had made.^{(N) 10} King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them into the care of the captains of the royal escorts^[a] who guarded the entrance to the king’s palace. ¹¹ Whenever the king entered the Lord’s temple, the royal escorts would carry the shields and take them back to the royal escorts’ armory. ¹² When Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned away from him, and He did not destroy him completely.^(O) Besides that, conditions were good in Judah.^(P)