The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the NLT. Switch to the NLT to read along with the audio.
Rehoboam Reigns over Judah and Builds Cities
11 (A)Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of the Lord came to (B)Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3 “Tell Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, 4 ‘This is what the Lord says: “You shall not go up nor fight against (C)your relatives; return, every man, to his house, (D)for this [a]event is from Me.”’” So they listened to the words of the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and (E)built cities for defense in Judah. 6 He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11 He also strengthened the fortresses and put officers in them and supplies of food, oil, and wine. 12 He put shields and spears in every city and strengthened them greatly. So he held Judah and Benjamin.
13 Moreover, the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel also stood with him from all their districts.
Jeroboam Appoints False Priests
14 For (F)the Levites left their pasture lands and their property and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because (G)Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from serving as priests to the Lord. 15 (H)He set up priests of his own for the high places, for the satyrs and the calves which he had made. 16 (I)Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord God of Israel [b]followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers. 17 (J)They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.
Rehoboam’s Family
18 Then Rehoboam married Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David and of Abihail the daughter of (K)Eliab the son of Jesse, 19 and she bore to him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 After her he married (L)Maacah the daughter of [c]Absalom, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines. For (M)he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. 22 (N)Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as head and leader among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. 23 He acted wisely and distributed [d]some of his sons through all the territories of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities, and he gave them plenty of provisions. And he sought many wives for them.
Shishak of Egypt Invades Judah
12 (O)When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, (P)he and all Israel with him abandoned the Law of the Lord. 2 (Q)And it came about in King Rehoboam’s fifth year, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, that (R)Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem 3 with 1,200 chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. And the people who came with him from Egypt were innumerable: (S)the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians. 4 And he captured (T)the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. 5 Then (U)Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the Lord says: ‘(V)You have abandoned Me, so I also have abandoned you [e]to Shishak.’” 6 So the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The (W)Lord is righteous.”
7 When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, “(X)They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them; and I will grant them a little deliverance, and (Y)My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak. 8 But they will become his slaves, so (Z)that they may learn the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.”
Plunder Impoverishes Judah
9 (AA)So Shishak king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem, and he took the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s palace. He took everything; (AB)he even took the gold shields which Solomon had made. 10 Then King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and committed them to the [f]care of the commanders of the [g]guards who guarded the entrance of the king’s house. 11 As often as the king entered the house of the Lord, the [h]guards came and carried them and then brought them back into the [i]guards’ room. 12 And (AC)when he humbled himself, the anger of the Lord turned away from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and conditions (AD)were also good in Judah.
13 (AE)So King Rehoboam became powerful in Jerusalem and reigned there. For Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14 But he did evil (AF)because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
15 (AG)Now the acts of Rehoboam, from the first to the last, are they not written in the [j]records of (AH)Shemaiah the prophet and of (AI)Iddo the seer, according to genealogical enrollment? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 16 And Rehoboam [k]lay down with his fathers and was buried in the city of David; and his son (AJ)Abijah became king in his place.
Abijah Succeeds Rehoboam
13 (AK)In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He reigned in Jerusalem for three years; and his mother’s name was [l]Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
(AL)Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah began the battle with an army of warriors, four hundred thousand chosen men, while Jeroboam drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men who were valiant warriors.
Civil War
4 Then Abijah stood on Mount (AM)Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel: 5 Do you not know that (AN)the Lord God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David [m]and his sons by (AO)a covenant of salt? 6 Yet (AP)Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his [n]master, 7 and worthless men gathered to him, wicked men, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, when [o](AQ)he was young and timid and could not hold his own against them.
8 “So now you intend to assert yourselves against the kingdom of the Lord [p]through the sons of David, [q]being a great multitude and having with you (AR)the golden calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 (AS)Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes (AT)to consecrate himself with a bull and seven rams, even he may become a priest of things that are (AU)not gods. 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not abandoned Him; and the sons of Aaron are ministering to the Lord as priests, and the Levites [r]attend to their work. 11 Every morning and evening (AV)they [s]burn to the Lord burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and (AW)the showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening; for we perform our duty to the Lord our God, but you have abandoned Him. 12 Now behold, God is with us at our head, and (AX)His priests with the signal trumpets to sound the war cry against you. Sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
13 But Jeroboam (AY)had set an ambush to come from behind, so that Israel was in front of Judah and the ambush was behind them. 14 When Judah turned around, behold, [t]they were attacked both from front and rear; so (AZ)they cried out to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised a war cry, and when the men of Judah raised the war cry, God [u](BA)defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 When the sons of Israel fled from Judah, (BB)God handed them over to them. 17 Abijah and his people defeated them with a great slaughter, so that five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell slain. 18 The sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah [v]conquered (BC)because they trusted in the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured from him several cities, Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and [w]Ephron with its villages.
Death of Jeroboam
20 Jeroboam did not again recover strength in the days of Abijah; and the (BD)Lord struck him and (BE)he died.
21 But Abijah became powerful, and he took fourteen wives for himself, and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his words are written in (BF)the [x]treatise of (BG)Iddo the prophet.
Our Victory in Christ
26 Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for (A)we do not know what to pray for as we should, but (B)the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with [a]groanings too deep for words; 27 and (C)He who searches the hearts knows what (D)the mind of the Spirit is, because He (E)intercedes for the [b]saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that [c]God [d]causes (F)all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are (G)called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He (H)foreknew, He also (I)predestined to become (J)conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the (K)firstborn among many brothers and sisters; 30 and these whom He (L)predestined, He also (M)called; and these whom He called, He also (N)justified; and these whom He justified, He also (O)glorified.
31 (P)What then shall we say to these things? (Q)If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who (R)did not spare His own Son, but (S)delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring charges against (T)God’s elect? (U)God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who (V)condemns? Christ Jesus is He who (W)died, but rather, was [e](X)raised, who is (Y)at the right hand of God, who also (Z)intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from (AA)the love of [f]Christ? Will (AB)tribulation, or trouble, or (AC)persecution, or (AD)famine, or (AE)nakedness, or (AF)danger, or sword? 36 Just as it is written:
“(AG)For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly (AH)conquer through (AI)Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither (AJ)death, nor life, nor (AK)angels, nor principalities, nor (AL)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 (AM)the love of God that is (AN)in Christ Jesus our Lord.
37 I (A)pursued my enemies and overtook them,
And I did not turn back (B)until they were consumed.
38 I shattered them, so that they were (C)not able to rise;
They fell (D)under my feet.
39 For You have (E)encircled me with strength for battle;
You have forced those who rose up against me (F)to bow down under me.
40 You have also made my enemies (G)turn their backs to me,
And I [a](H)destroyed those who hated me.
41 They cried for help, but there was (I)no one to save,
They cried to the Lord, but (J)He did not answer them.
42 Then I beat them fine like the (K)dust before the wind;
I emptied them out like the mud of the streets.
43 You have rescued me from the (L)contentions of the people;
You have placed me as (M)head of the nations;
A (N)people whom I have not known serve me.
44 As soon as they hear, they obey me;
Foreigners (O)pretend to obey me.
45 Foreigners (P)lose heart,
And (Q)come trembling out of their [b]fortresses.
46 The Lord (R)lives, and blessed be (S)my rock;
And exalted be (T)the God of my salvation,
47 The God who (U)executes vengeance for me,
And (V)subdues peoples under me.
48 He (W)rescues me from my enemies;
You indeed (X)lift me above those who rise up against me;
You rescue me from a (Y)violent man.
49 Therefore I will (Z)give thanks to You among the nations, Lord,
And I will (AA)sing praises to Your name.
50 He gives great [c](AB)salvation to His king,
And shows faithfulness to (AC)His anointed,
To David and (AD)his [d]descendants forever.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.