2 Chronicles 11

11 ¹ When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors—to fight against Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. ² But the word of our Father came to Shemaiah, the man of our Father, saying:

³ "Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin: ⁴ This is what our Father says: You must not go up or fight against your brothers. Go home, every one of you, for this thing has come from me." So they obeyed the words of our Father and turned back from marching against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam Fortifies Judah

⁵ Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up cities for defense in Judah. ⁶ He built Bethlehem, Etam, and Tekoa, ⁷ Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. ¹¹ He strengthened the fortresses and put commanders in them, along with stores of food, oil, and wine. ¹² In every city he placed shields and spears, making them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin remained his.

¹³ The priests and the Levites who were throughout all Israel came to him from all their territory, ¹⁴ for the Levites abandoned their pasturelands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had driven them out from serving as priests of our Father. ¹⁵ And he appointed his own priests for the high places, for the goat idols, and for the calf idols he had made. ¹⁶ And those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts to seek our Father, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to our Father, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁷ So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, for they followed the way of David and Solomon for three years.

Rehoboam's Family

¹⁸ Rehoboam married Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth son of David and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab son of Jesse. ¹⁹ She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ After her, he married Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines; for he married eighteen wives and had sixty concubines, and had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. ²² Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief, as leader among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. ²³ He acted wisely and dispersed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city; he gave them abundant provisions and sought many wives for them.