1And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem; and he assembled Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand young men fit for war, and he waged war with Israel to recover the kingdom to Rehoboam.

2And the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

3Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, and to all Judah and Benjamin, saying,

4Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, and ye shall not war against your brethren: return every one to his home; for this thing is of me. And they hearkened to the word of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

5And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and he built walled cities in Judea.

6And he built Bethlehem, and Etam and Tekoa,

7and Beth-zur, and Soco, and Adullam,

8and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,

9and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,

10and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which belongs to Judah and Benjamin, walled cities.

11And he fortified them with walls, and placed in them captains, and stores of provisions, oil and wine,

12shields and spears in every several city, and he fortified them very strongly, and he had on his side Judah and Benjamin.

13And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel were gathered to him out of all the coasts.

14For the Levites left the tents of their possession, and went to Judah to Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had ejected them so that they should not minister to the Lord.

15And he made for himself priests of the high places, and for the idols, and for the vanities, and for the calves which Jeroboam made.

16And he cast out from the tribes of Israel those who set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel: and they came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers.

17And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah; and Judah strengthened Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for he walked three years in the ways of David and Solomon.

18And Rehoboam took to himself for a wife Mahalath daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and Abigail daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse.

19And she bore him sons; Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.

20And afterward he took to himself Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.

21And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and all his concubines: for he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; and he begot twenty-eight sons, and sixty daughters.

22And he made Abijah the son of Maacah chief, even a leader among his brethren, for he intended to make him king.

23And he was exalted beyond all his other sons in all the coasts of Judah and Benjamin, and in the strong cities; and he gave them provisions in great abundance: and he desired many wives.