1 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring back the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of the Lord came unto Shemayahu the man of God, saying,
3 Say unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, the king of Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 Thus hath said the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight with your brethren: return every man to his house; for from me hath this thing been brought about. And they hearkened to the words of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities as fortresses in Judah.
6 He built, namely, Bethlechem, and Etam, and Thekoa.
7 And Bethzur, and Socho, and Adullam,
8 And Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
9 And Adorayim and Lachish, and Azekah,
10 And Zorah, and Ayalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities.
11 And he strengthened the strongholds, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, and oil and wine;
12 And in each and every city he placed shields and spears, and made them exceedingly strong: and thus remained with him Judah and Benjamin.
13 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel presented themselves to him out of all their territory.
14 For the Levites left their open districts and their possession, and went to Judah and Jerusalem; because Jeroboam and his sons cast them off from executing the priests office unto the Lord,
15 And because he ordained for himself priests for the highplaces, and for the evil spirits, and for the calves which he had made.
16 And after them came out of all the tribes of Israel such as directed their heart to seek the Lord the God of Israel: these came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the Lord, the God of their fathers.
17 And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and brought power to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, during three years; for they walked in the way of David and Solomon during three years.
18 And Rehoboam took himself as wife Machalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and Abichayil the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;
19 And she bore to him sons: Jeush, and Shamaryah, and Zaham.
20 And after her did he take Maachah the daughter of Abshalom; and she bore to him Abiyah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Abshalom more than all his wives and his concubines; for he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines; and he begat twenty and eight sons, and sixty daughters.
22 And Rehoboam appointed Abiyah the son of Maachah to be the chief, to be ruler among his brethren; because he desired to make him king.
23 And he dealt understandingly, and dispersed all his children throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, unto all the fortified cities; and he gave them food in abundance and he required for them a multitude of wives.