1And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem; and he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men apt for war, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.

2But the word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah the man of ³⁶God, saying,

3Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,

4Thus saith Jehovah: Go not up, nor fight with your brethren; return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. And they hearkened to the words of Jehovah, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

5And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.

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 Ajalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities.

11And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of victuals, and of oil and wine;

12and in every several city, targets and spears, and made them exceedingly strong. And Judah and Benjamin were his.

13And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their districts;

14for the Levites left their suburbs and their possessions, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from exercising the priesthood to Jehovah;

15and he ordained for himself priests for the high places, and for the he-goats and for the calves that he had made.

16— And after them, those out of all the tribes of Israel that set their heart to seek Jehovah the ³⁷God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to Jehovah the ³⁸God of their fathers.

17And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong three years; for during three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.

18And Rehoboam took Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David as wife, [and of] Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse.

19And she bore him children: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.

20And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.

21And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines; for he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

22And Rehoboam established Abijah the son of Maachah at the head, to be ruler among his brethren; for [he thought] to make him king.

23And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities; and he gave them food in abundance. And he desired [for them] a multitude of wives.