Historical

Rehoboam in Jerusalem

11 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem,^(A) he mobilized the house of Judah and Benjamin—one hundred eighty thousand fit young soldiers—to fight against Israel to restore the reign to Rehoboam. ² But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah,^(B) the man of God: ³ “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers.^(C) Each of you return home, for this incident has come from me.’”^(D)

So they listened to what the Lord said and turned back from going against Jeroboam.

Judah’s King Rehoboam

⁵ Rehoboam stayed in Jerusalem, and he fortified cities^[a](E) in Judah. ⁶ He built up 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 in Benjamin. ¹¹ He strengthened their fortifications and put leaders in them with supplies of food, oil, and wine. ¹² He also put large shields and spears in each and every city to make them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.

¹³ The priests and Levites from all their regions throughout Israel took their stand with Rehoboam, ¹⁴ for the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions^(F) and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons refused to let them serve as priests of the Lord.^{(G) 15} Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places,^(H) the goat-demons,^(I) and the golden calves he had made.^{(J) 16} Those from every tribe of Israel who had determined in their hearts to seek the Lord their God followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁷ So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years,^(K) because they walked in the ways of David and Solomon for three years.

¹⁸ Rehoboam married Mahalath, daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.^{(L) 19} She bore sons to him: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ After her, he married Maacah daughter^[b](M) of Absalom. She bore Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith to him. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines. He acquired eighteen wives^(N) and sixty concubines and was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

²² Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief, leader among his brothers, intending to make him king.^{(O) 23} Rehoboam also showed discernment by dispersing some of his sons to all the regions of Judah and Benjamin and to all the fortified cities. He gave them plenty of provisions and sought many wives for them.

Shishak’s Invasion

12 When Rehoboam had established his sovereignty and royal power,^(P) 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, King Shishak^(Q) of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem^{(R) 3} with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 cavalrymen, and countless people who came with him from Egypt—Libyans,^(S) Sukkiim, and Cushites. ⁴ He captured the fortified cities^(T) of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

⁵ Then the prophet Shemaiah^(U) 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 to Shishak.”^(V)

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

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.^(X) My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.^{(Y) 8} However, they will become his servants so that they may recognize the difference between serving me and serving the kingdoms of other lands.”^(Z)

⁹ So King Shishak of Egypt went to war^(AA) against Jerusalem.^(AB) 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.^{(AC) 10} King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and committed them into the care of the captains of the guards^[c] who protected the entrance to the king’s palace. ¹¹ Whenever the king entered the Lord’s temple, the guards would carry the shields and take them back to the armory.^{[d] 12} When Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned away from him, and he did not destroy him completely.^(AD) Besides that, conditions were good in Judah.^(AE)

Rehoboam’s Last Days

¹³ King Rehoboam^(AF) established his royal power in Jerusalem. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put his name.^(AG) Rehoboam’s mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. ¹⁴ Rehoboam did what was evil, because he did not determine in his heart to seek the Lord.^(AH)

¹⁵ The events^(AI) of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Events of the Prophet Shemaiah^(AJ) and of the Seer Iddo concerning genealogies.^(AK) There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their reigns. ¹⁶ Rehoboam rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. His son Abijah^[e](AL) became king in his place.

Judah’s King Abijah

13 In the eighteenth year^(AM) of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Abijah^[f] became king over Judah, ² and he reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah^[g](AN) daughter of Uriel; she was from Gibeah.

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³ Abijah set his army of warriors in order with four hundred thousand fit young men. Jeroboam arranged his mighty army of eight hundred thousand fit young men in battle formation against him. ⁴ Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim,^(AO) which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Jeroboam and all Israel, hear me. ⁵ Don’t you know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever^(AP) by a covenant of salt?^{(AQ) 6} But Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.^{(AR) 7} Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young, inexperienced, and unable to assert himself against them.

⁸ “And now you are saying you can assert yourselves against the Lord’s kingdom, which is in the hand of one of David’s sons. You are a vast number and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.^{[h](AS) 9} Didn’t you banish the priests of the Lord, the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and make your own priests like the peoples of other lands do?^(AT) Whoever comes to ordain himself^(AU) with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest^(AV) of what are not gods.^(AW)

¹⁰ “But as for us, the Lord is our God. We have not abandoned him; the priests ministering to the Lord are descendants of Aaron, and the Levites serve at their tasks. ¹¹ They offer a burnt offering and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and every evening,^(AX) and they set the rows of the Bread of the Presence on the ceremonially clean table.^(AY) They light the lamps of the gold lampstand every evening. We are carrying out the requirements of the Lord our God, while you have abandoned him.^{(AZ) 12} Look, God and his priests are with us at our head. The trumpets are ready to sound the charge against you. Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”^(BA)

¹³ Now Jeroboam had sent an ambush^(BB) around to advance from behind them. So they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ Judah turned and discovered that the battle was in front of them and behind them, so they cried out to the Lord.^(BC) Then the priests blew the trumpets, ¹⁵ and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. When the men of Judah raised the battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.^{(BD) 16} So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God handed them over to them.^{(BE) 17} Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and five hundred thousand fit young men of Israel were killed. ¹⁸ The Israelites were subdued at that time. The Judahites succeeded because they depended on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

¹⁹ Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron,^[i] along with their surrounding villages. ²⁰ Jeroboam no longer retained his power^[j] during Abijah’s reign; ultimately, the Lord struck him^(BF) and he died.^(BG)

²¹ However, Abijah grew strong, acquired fourteen wives, and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. ²² The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, along with his ways and his sayings, are written in the Writing^(BH) of the Prophet Iddo.^(BI)

14 Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa became king in his place.^(BJ) During his reign the land experienced peace for ten years.

Judah’s King Asa

² Asa did what was good and right^(BK) in the sight of the Lord his God. ³ He removed the pagan altars and the high places. He shattered their sacred pillars and chopped down their Asherah poles.^{(BL) 4} He told the people of Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors and to carry out the instruction and the commands. ⁵ He also removed the high places and the shrines^[k] from all the cities of Judah,^(BM) and the kingdom experienced peace under him.

⁶ Because the land experienced peace, Asa built fortified cities in Judah.^(BN) No one made war with him in those days because the Lord gave him rest.^{(BO) 7} So he said to the people of Judah, “Let’s build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, with doors and bars.^(BP) The land is still ours because we sought the Lord our God. We sought him and he gave us rest on every side.” So they built and succeeded.

The Cushite Invasion

⁸ Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah bearing large shields and spears,^(BQ) and two hundred eighty thousand from Benjamin bearing regular shields and drawing the bow. All these were valiant warriors. ⁹ Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of one million men and three hundred^[l] chariots. They came as far as Mareshah. ¹⁰ So Asa marched out against him and lined up in battle formation in Zephathah Valley at Mareshah.^(BR)

¹¹ Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God,^(BS) “Lord, there is no one besides you to help the mighty and those without strength. Help us, Lord our God, for we depend on you,^(BT) and in your name we have come against this large army. Lord, you are our God. Do not let a mere mortal hinder you.”

¹² So the Lord routed the Cushites before Asa and before Judah,^(BU) and the Cushites fled. ¹³ Then Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar.^(BV) The Cushites fell until they had no survivors, for they were crushed before the Lord and his army. So the people of Judah carried off a great supply of loot. ¹⁴ Then they attacked all the cities around Gerar because the terror of the Lord was on them.^(BW) They also plundered all the cities, since there was a great deal of plunder in them. ¹⁵ They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen and captured many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.