2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 11 ©
1 Rehoboam raiseth an army to reduce Israel, but is forbidden to proceed by the prophet Shemaiah. 5 He buildeth fenced cities, and putteth the strong holds in a good posture of defence. 13 The priests and Levites, cast off by Jeroboam in favour of his own idolatrous worship, resort to Jerusalem, and are followed by others out of Israel that feared God. 18 Rehoboam's wives and children.
AND when aRehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all cIsrael in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your dbrethren: return every man to his house: for this thing eis done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
¶And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and fbuilt cities for defence in Judah.
And jBeth-zur, and Shoco, and Adullam,
And kGath, and lMareshah, and mZiph,
And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.
¶And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel 1resorted to him out of all their *coasts.
For the Levites left rtheir suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for sJeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD:
And he tordained him priests for the high places, and for uthe devils, and for vthe calves which he had made.
So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for xthree years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.
Which bare him children; Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham.
And after her he took 2Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
And aRehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.