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2 Chronicles 11
1599 Geneva Bible
2 Chronicles 11
1599 Geneva Bible
11 4 Rehoboam is forbidden to fight against Jeroboam. 5 Cities which he built. 21 He hath eighteen wives, and threescore concubines, and by them eight and twenty sons, and threescore daughters.
1 And (A)when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and [a]Benjamin ninescore thousand chosen men of war to fight against [b]Israel, and to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3 Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon King of Judah, and to all Israel that are in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. They obeyed therefore the word of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and [c]built strong cities in Judah.
6 He built also Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
7 And Beth Zur, and Sochoh, and Adullam,
8 And Gath, Mareshah, and Ziph,
9 And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10 And Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which were in Judah and Benjamin strong cities.
11 And he [d]repaired the strongholds and put captains in them, and store of vittles, and oil and wine.
12 And in all cities he put shields and spears and made them exceedingly strong: so Judah and Benjamin were his.
13 ¶ And the Priests and the Levites that were in all Israel, [e]resorted unto him out of all their coasts.
14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possessions, and came to Judah and to Jerusalem: (B)for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them out from ministering in the Priests’ office unto the Lord.
15 (C)And he ordained him Priests for the high places, and for the [f]devils and for the calves which he had made.
16 And after the Levites there came to Jerusalem of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their [g]hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel, to offer unto the Lord God of their fathers.
17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon mighty, three years long: for three years they [h]walked in the way of David and Solomon.
18 ¶ And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliah the son of Jesse,
19 Which bare him sons Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham.
20 And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: for he took eighteen wives and threescore concubines, and begat eight and twenty sons, and threescore daughters.
22 And Rehoboam made [i]Abijah the son of Maachah the chief ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him King.
23 And he taught him: and dispersed all his sons throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin unto every strong city: and he gave them abundance of vittles, and [j]desired many wives.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 11:1 That is, the half tribe of Benjamin: for the other half was gone after Jeroboam.
- 2 Chronicles 11:1 Meaning the ten tribes which rebelled.
- 2 Chronicles 11:5 Or, repaired them and made them strong to be more able to resist Jeroboam.
- 2 Chronicles 11:11 Or, strengthened.
- 2 Chronicles 11:13 Hebrew, stood.
- 2 Chronicles 11:15 Meaning, idols, read Isa. 44:15.
- 2 Chronicles 11:16 Which were zealous of true religion, and feared God.
- 2 Chronicles 11:17 So long as they feared God, and set forth his word, they prospered.
- 2 Chronicles 11:22 Called also Abijam, who reigned three years, 1 Kings 15:2.
- 2 Chronicles 11:23 He gave himself to have many wives.
2 Chronicles 11
New International Version
2 Chronicles 11
New International Version
11 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem,(A) he mustered Judah and Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.
2 But this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah(B) the man of God: 3 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, 4 ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your fellow Israelites.(C) Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the words of the Lord and turned back from marching against Jeroboam.
Rehoboam Fortifies Judah
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah: 6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth Zur, Soko, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities(D) in Judah and Benjamin. 11 He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine. 12 He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
13 The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him. 14 The Levites(E) even abandoned their pasturelands and property(F) and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord 15 when he appointed(G) his own priests(H) for the high places and for the goat(I) and calf(J) idols he had made. 16 Those from every tribe of Israel(K) who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 17 They strengthened(L) the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time.
Rehoboam’s Family
18 Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 19 She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham. 20 Then he married Maakah(M) daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah,(N) Attai, Ziza and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maakah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives(O) and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah(P) son of Maakah as crown prince among his brothers, in order to make him king. 23 He acted wisely, dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions(Q) and took many wives for them.
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