2 Chronicles 11

Rehoboam Secures His Kingdom

1 k When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of the Lord came to l Shemaiah the man of God: 3 "Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, 4 'Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against m your relatives. Return every man to his home, for this thing is from me.'" So they listened to the word of the Lord and returned and did not go against Jeroboam.

5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built n cities for defense in Judah. 6 He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, o Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. 11 He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine. 12 And he put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.

Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem

13 And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all places where they lived. 14 For the Levites left p their common lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, q because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the Lord, 15 and he appointed his own r priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for s the calves that he had made. 16 t And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers. 17 u They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

Rehoboam's Family

18 Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of v Eliab the son of Jesse, 19 and she bore him sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 After her he took w Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him x Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). 22 y And Rehoboam appointed x Abijah the son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. 23 And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities, and he gave them abundant provisions and procured wives for them. 1

  1. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 11:1 - 4
    When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
    1 Kings 12:21 - 24
    When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
  2. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 12:5
    Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the Lord, 'You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.'
    2 Chronicles 12:15
    Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the chronicles of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer? There were continual wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
  3. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 28:8
    The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria.
    2 Chronicles 28:11
    Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.
  4. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 11:23
    And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his...
    2 Chronicles 8:5
    He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-h...
    2 Chronicles 12:4
    And he took the fortified cities of Judah and c...
    2 Chronicles 14:6
    He built fortified cities in Judah, for the lan...
    2 Chronicles 17:2
    He placed forces in all the fortified cities of...
    2 Chronicles 17:19
    These were in the service of the king, besides ...
    2 Chronicles 21:3
    Their father gave them great gifts of silver, g...
  5. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 14:9
    Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.
  6. Cross References
    Numbers 35:2
    Command the people of Israel to give to the Levites some of the inheritance of their possession as cities for them to dwell in. And you shall give to the Levites pasturelands around the cities.
  7. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 13:9
    Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are no gods.
  8. Cross References
    1 Kings 12:31
    He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.
    1 Kings 13:33
    After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places.
  9. Cross References
    1 Kings 12:28
    So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
  10. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 15:9
    And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
  11. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 12:1
    When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.
  12. Cross References
    1 Samuel 16:6
    When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord 's anointed is before him.
    1 Samuel 17:13
    The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
    1 Samuel 17:28
    Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, "Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.
    1 Chronicles 27:18
    For Judah, Elihu, one of David's brothers; for Issachar, Omri the son of Michael.
  13. Cross References
    1 Kings 15:2
    He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
  14. Cross References
    1 Kings 14:31
    And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Abijam his son reigned in his place.
  15. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 21:15 - 17
    If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved.
  16. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 11:20
    After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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