13The priests and the Levites, from all their territories throughout Israel, presented themselves to him. 14The Levites had left their pasturelands and their holdings and had set out for Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had prevented them from serving the LORD, 15having appointed his own priests for the shrines, goat-demons, and calves which he had made. 16From all the tribes of Israel, those intent on seeking the LORD God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers. 17They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, for they followed the ways of David and Solomon for three years.
18Rehoboam married Mahalath daughter of Jerimoth son of David, and Abihail daughter of Eliab son of Jesse. 19She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20He then took Maacah daughter of Absalom; she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than his other wives and concubines—for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. 22Rehoboam designated Abijah son of Maacah as chief and leader among his brothers, for he intended him to be his successor. 23He prudently distributed all his sons throughout the regions of Judah and Benjamin and throughout the fortified towns; he provided them with abundant food, and he sought many wives for them.
12 When the kingship of Rehoboam was firmly established, and he grew strong, he abandoned the Teaching of the LORD, he and all Israel with him.
2In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak of Egypt marched against Jerusalem—for they had trespassed against the LORD—3with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen and innumerable troops who came with him from Egypt: Lybians, Sukkites, and Kushites. 4He took the fortified towns of Judah and advanced on Jerusalem. 5The prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and the officers of Judah, who had assembled in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus said the LORD: You have abandoned Me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak.” 6Then the officers of Israel and the king humbled themselves and declared, “The LORD is in the right.” 7When the LORD saw that they had submitted, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will grant them some measure of deliverance, and My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. 8They will be subject to him, and they will know the difference between serving Me and serving the kingdoms of the earth.” King Shishak of Egypt marched against Jerusalem. 9aHe took away the treasures of the House of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace; he took away everything; he took away the golden shields that Solomon had made. 10King Rehoboam had bronze shields made in their place, and entrusted them to the officers of the guardb who guarded the entrance to the royal palace. 11Whenever the king entered the House of the LORD, the guards would carry them and then bring them back to the armory of the guards. 12After he had humbled himself, the anger of the LORD was averted and He did not destroy him entirely; in Judah, too, good things were found.
13King Rehoboam grew strong in Jerusalem and exercised kingship. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem—the city the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to establish His name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14He did what was wrong, for he had not set his heart to seek the LORD. 15The deeds of Rehoboam, early and late, are recorded in the chronicles of the prophet Shemaiah and Iddo the seer, in the manner of genealogy. There was continuous war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 16Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. His son Abijah succeeded him as king.
13In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2He reigned three years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3Abijah joined battle with a force of warriors, 400,000 picked men. Jeroboam arrayed for battle against him 800,000 picked men, warriors. 4Abijah stood on top of Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel. 5Surely you know that the LORD God of Israel gave David kingship over Israel forever—to him and his sons—by a covenant of salt. 6Jeroboam son of Nebat had been in the service of Solomon son of David, but he rose up and rebelled against his master. 7Riffraff and scoundrels gathered around him and pressed hard upon Rehoboam son of Solomon. Rehoboam was inexperienced and fainthearted and could not stand up to them. 8Now you are bent on opposing the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the charge of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and possess the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9Did you not banish the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and, like the peoples of the land, appoint your own priests? Anyone who offered himself for ordination with a young bull of the herd and seven rams became a priest of no-gods! 10As for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken Him. The priests who minister to the LORD are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites are at their tasks. 11They offer burnt offerings in smoke each morning and each evening, and the aromatic incense, the rows of bread on the pure table; they kindle the golden lampstand with its lamps burning each evening, for we keep the charge of the LORD our God, while you have forsaken it. 12See, God is with us as our chief, and His priests have the trumpets for sounding blasts against you. O children of Israel, do not fight the LORD God of your fathers, because you will not succeed.” 13Jeroboam, however, had directed the ambush to go around and come from the rear, thus a-the main body was-a in front of Judah, while the ambush was behind them. 14When Judah turned around and saw that the fighting was before and behind them, they cried out to the LORD, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15The men of Judah raised a shout; and when the men of Judah raised a shout, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. 17Abijah and his army inflicted a severe defeat on them; 500,000 men of Israel fell slain. 18The Israelites were crushed at that time, while the people of Judah triumphed because they relied on the LORD God of their fathers. 19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some of his cities—Bethel with its dependencies, Jeshanah with its dependencies, and Ephrain with its dependencies. 20Jeroboam could not muster strength again during the days of Abijah. The LORD struck him down and he died. 21But Abijah grew powerful; he married fourteen wives and begat twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22The other events of Abijah’s reign, his conduct and his acts, are recorded in the story of the prophet Iddo. 23Abijah slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David; his son Asa succeeded him as king. The land was untroubled for ten years.
14Asa did what was good and pleasing to the LORD his God. 2He abolished the alien altars and shrines; he smashed the pillars and cut down the sacred posts. 3He ordered Judah to turn to the LORD God of their fathers and to observe the Teaching and the Commandment. 4He abolished the shrines and the incense stands throughout the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was untroubled under him. 5He built fortified towns in Judah, since the land was untroubled and he was not engaged in warfare during those years, for the LORD had granted him respite. 6He said to Judah, “Let us build up these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars, while the land is at our disposal because we turned to the LORD our God—we turned [to Him] and He gave us respite on all sides.” They were successful in their building.
7Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah bearing shields and spears, and 280,000 from Benjamin bearing bucklers and drawing the bow; all these were valiant men. 8Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of a thousand thousand and 300 chariots. When he reached Mareshah 9Asa confronted him, and the battle lines were drawn in the valley of Zephat by Mareshah. 10Asa called to the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, it is all the same to You to help the numerous and the
