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Rehoboam’s Kingdom
11 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors,[a] to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying, 3 “Say to Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, 4 ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Do not go up, and do not fight against your brothers. Return, each man to his house, for this matter has come from me.”’” So they obeyed the words of Yahweh and turned back from going against Jeroboam.
5 And Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built cities as strongholds in Judah. 6 He built Bethlehem, Etah, Tekoa, 7 Beth-Zur, Socoh, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. 11 And he strengthened the fortifications and put commanders in them, along with stores of food, olive oil, and wine. 12 And in all the cities he put shields and spears, and he greatly strengthened them. So he had Judah and Benjamin.
The Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem
13 Now the priests and the Levites who were throughout all Israel took their stand with him[b] from all their territories. 14 For the Levites left their pasturelands and their property and came to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to Yahweh. 15 And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the bull calves that he had made. 16 Then after them, from all the tribes of Israel, those who set their heart to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to offer to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.[c] 17 And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, secure for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.
Rehoboam’s Harem and Family
18 Then Rehoboam took to himself as a wife Mahalath, the daughter[d] of Yerimot son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse. 19 And she bore to him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 And after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines (for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). 22 And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as chief and crown prince over his brothers, in order to make him king. 23 And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons throughout all the land of Judah and Benjamin, through all the fortified cities, and gave abundant provisions to them and obtained many wives for them.
Shishak of Egypt Invades Jerusalem
12 And when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and when he was strengthened, he forsook the law of Yahweh, and all Israel with him. 2 And it happened that in the fifth year of King Rehoboam (for they had acted unfaithfully against Yahweh), Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem 3 with one thousand two hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. And there was no number to the people who came up with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. 4 And he took the fortified cities that belonged to Judah, and he came up to Jerusalem.
5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem from before Shishak. And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘You yourselves have abandoned me, and I myself have surely abandoned you into the hand of Shishak.’” 6 Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “Yahweh is righteous.” 7 And when Yahweh saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy. I will give to them some way of escape, that my anger not be poured out against Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 8 However, they shall be his servants, that they might know my service and the service of the kingdoms of other countries.”
9 Then Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and he took the treasures out of the house of Yahweh and the treasures out of the king’s house. He took everything. He also took the small shields of gold that Solomon had made. 10 And King Rehoboam made small shields of bronze in their place and committed them into the hand of the commanders of the guards who were keeping the entrance of the house of the king. 11 And whenever the king went into the house of Yahweh, the guards came and carried them, and then they returned them to the alcove of the guards. 12 And when he humbled himself, the anger of Yahweh was turned away from him, so that he did not destroy the city completely. Moreover, matters were well in Judah.
The Death of Rehoboam
13 So King Rehoboam was strengthened in Jerusalem, and he reigned there. Now, Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city where Yahweh had chosen to put his name out of all the tribes of Israel. And the name of his mother was Naamah the Ammonite. 14 And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek Yahweh.
15 Now the words of Rehoboam from the first to the last, are they not written in the chronicles[e] of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer as a record? And there were battles between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their[f] days. 16 And Rehoboam slept with his ancestors,[g] and he was buried in the city of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place.
Abijah and Civil War
13 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah reigned over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.
Now there was war between Abijah and between Jeroboam. 3 And Abijah joined in the battle with an army of four hundred thousand battle-hardened warriors,[h] chosen men, and Jeroboam put the battle in order against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, an army of mighty warriors.
4 Then Abijah stood up on top of Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Do you not all know that Yahweh the God of Israel gave the kingdom to David over Israel forever, to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? 6 But Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master, 7 and worthless men, sons of wickedness,[i] were gathered about him and became hostile against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was a boy and gentle of heart and was not strong enough to stand before them. 8 So now you yourselves are considering that you are strong before the kingdom of Yahweh which is in the hand the sons of David, since you yourselves are a great multitude and you have bull calves of gold that Jeroboam has made for idols. 9 Did you not drive out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, the Levites? Have you not made for yourselves priests like all the peoples of the lands? All who come to be consecrated for priestly service[j] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what is not a god. 10 But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests serving Yahweh are the sons of Aaron, the Levites, according to their service. 11 They offer burnt offerings to Yahweh every morning[k] and every evening,[l] sweet spices of incense, and the rows of bread upon the pure table. And the golden lampstand with its lamps they keep kindled every evening,[m] for we are keeping the requirement of Yahweh our God, but you yourselves have forsaken him. 12 And look, God is with us at the head, and his priests have the trumpets for sounding blasts against you, O sons of Israel. Do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[n] for you will not succeed.”
13 Then Jeroboam sent around an ambush to come behind them. So they were in front of Judah, but the ambush was behind them. 14 When Judah turned, then behold, the battle against them was in front and behind, and they cried to Yahweh, and the priests blew on the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah shouted, and it happened that when the men of Judah were shouting, then God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 And the Israelites[o] fled from before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. 17 And Abijah and his people struck a great blow against them, and the dead from Israel that fell were five hundred thousand chosen men. 18 And the Israelites[p] were subdued at that time, and the people[q] of Judah were victorious, for they relied upon Yahweh the God of their ancestors.[r]
19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. 20 And Jeroboam did not regain strength again in the days of Abijah. And Yahweh plagued him and he died. 21 But Abijah became strong, and he took to himself fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 Now the rest of the words of Abijah and his ways and his words are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
26 And likewise also, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as one ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unexpressed groanings. 27 And the one who searches our hearts knows what the mindset of the Spirit is, because he intercedes on behalf of the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose, 29 because those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined, these he also called, and those whom he called, these he also justified, and those whom he justified, these he also glorified.
Victory in Christ
31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, together with him, freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ[a] is the one who died, and more than that, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or hunger or lack of sufficient clothing or danger or the sword? 36 Just as it is written,
“On account of you we are being put to death the whole day long;
we are considered as sheep for slaughter.”[b]
37 No, but in all these things we prevail completely through the one who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
37 I chased my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back until they were finished off.
38 I struck them and they were not able to stand up;
they fell under my feet.
39 And you girded me with strength for the battle;
those rising against me you made to kneel under me.
40 And you made my enemies turn their backs,[a]
then I destroyed those who hated me.
41 They cried out but there was no rescuer,
even to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
42 And I ground them like dust in the wind,[b]
I emptied them[c] out like mud of the streets.
43 You rescued me from strife with people;
you set me as head (over) nations.
People I did not know served me;
44 as soon as they heard,[d] they obeyed me.
The children of a foreign land feigned obedience before me.
45 The children of a foreign land lost heart,[e]
and they came trembling from their strongholds.
46 Yahweh lives, and blessed be my rock,
and may the God of my salvation be exalted—
47 the God who executed vengeance for me,
and subdued peoples under me,
48 who delivered me from my enemies.
Indeed, you exalted me higher than those who rose against me.
You delivered me from the man of violence.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, O Yahweh,
and I will sing the praise of your name:
50 the one who makes great victories for his king,
and who shows loyal love for his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.
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