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¹ And when Rehoboam had entered Jerusalem, he called together the house of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, warriors, - to fight against Israel, to bring back the kingdom to Rehoboam.² Then came the word of Yahweh, unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying:³ Speak unto Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, - and unto all Israel in Judah and in Benjamin, saying:⁴ Thus, saith Yahweh, Ye shall not go up neither shall ye fight against your brethren, return every man to his own house, for, from me, hath this thing been brought about. So they hearkened unto the words of Yahweh, and turned back from going against Jeroboam.⁵ And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, - and built cities for defence, in Judah;⁶ yea he built Bethlehem and Etam, and Tekoa;⁷ and Beth-zur and Soco, and Adullam;⁸ and Gath and Mareshah, and Ziph;⁹ and Adoraim and Lachish, and Azekah;¹⁰ and Zorah, and Aijalon and Hebron, which are in Judah and Benjamin, - as fortified cities.¹¹ And he strengthened the fortified places, - and put therein captains, and stores of food, and oil and wine;¹² and, in every several city, shields and spears, and made them exceedingly strong, - thus Judah and Benjamin remained his.

¹³ And, the priests and Levites that were in all Israel, took their stand with him, out of all their boundaries.¹⁴ For the Levites left their pasture lands, and their possessions, and came to Judah, and to Jerusalem, - for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, from ministering as priests unto Yahweh;¹⁵ and appointed for himself priests for the high places, and for the demons - and for the calves which he had made.¹⁶ And, after them - out of all the tribes of Israel, such as were setting their heart to seek Yahweh God of Israel, came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto Yahweh, God of their fathers.¹⁷ So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and emboldened Rehoboam son of Solomon, for three years, - for they walked in the way of David and Solomon, for three years.¹⁸ And Rehoboam took him to wife, Mahalath, daughter of Jerimoth, son of David, - and Abihail, daughter of Eliab, son of Jesse;¹⁹ and she bare him sons, - Jeush and Shamariah and Zaham.²⁰ And, after her, he took Maacah, daughter of Absolom, - and she bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.²¹ And Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absolom, above all his wives and his concubines, for, eighteen wives, took he, and sixty concubines, - and begat twenty-eight sons, and sixty daughters.²² So then Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as head, to be chief ruler among his brethren, - yea that he might make him king.²³ So he took heed, and dispersed all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, unto all the fortified cities, and gave them food in abundance, - and asked a multitude of wives.