2 Chronicles 11
11:1And Rehoboam came into Jerusalem, and he held an assembly of Judah and Benjamin -- a hundred eighty thousand young men for making war, to wage war against Israel, to return the kingdom to Rehoboam.
11:2And came to pass the word of the lord to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
11:3Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel, the one with Judah and Benjamin, saying!
11:4Thus says the lord, You shall not ascend, and you shall not wage war against your brethren. Let each return to his house! for this thing took place from me. And they heeded the word of the lord, and they turned to not go against Jeroboam.
11:5And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and he built walled cities in Judea.
11:6And he rebuilt Beth-lehem and Etam and Tekoa,
11:7and Beth-zur, and Shoco, and Adullam,
11:8and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
11:9and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
11:10and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are walled cities of Judah and Benjamin.
11:11And he fortified them with walls, and he appointed in them leaders, and provisions of foods, and olive oil and wine;
11:12accordingly city by city with shields and spears. And he strengthened them in magnitude exceedingly, and Judah and Benjamin were his.
11:13And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel, came together to him from out of all the borders.
11:14For the Levites left behind their tents, the ones of their possession, and they went to Judah unto Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons cast them out to not officiate to the lord.
11:15And he placed for himself priests of the high places, and for the idols, and for the vain things, and for the calves which Jeroboam made.
11:16And he cast them out from the tribes of Israel, the ones who gave their heart to seek the lord God of Israel. And they came into Jerusalem to sacrifice to the lord, to the God of their fathers.
11:17And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and they strengthened Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years; for he went by way of David and Solomon for three years.
11:18And Rehoboam took to himself for a wife Mahalath daughter of Jerimoth son of David, and Abihail daughter of Eliab son of Jesse.
11:19And she bore to him sons -- Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham.
11:20And after these he took Maachah to himself, the daughter of Absalom; and she bore to him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
11:21And Rehoboam loved Maacha daughter of Absalom above all his wives and the concubines; for he had eighteen wives, and sixty concubines. And he engendered twenty and eight sons, and sixty daughters.
11:22And Rehoboam ordained Abijah the son of Maacha as ruler, and for leader among his brethren, for he considered to give him reign.
11:23And he grew above all his sons, in all the borders of Judah and Benjamin, and in the fortified cities; and he gave to them a vast multitude of provisions; and he asked for a multitude of wives.