The Divided Kingdom

yea, he buildeth Beth-Lehem and Etam, and Tekoa,

and Beth-Zur, and Shocho, and Adullam,

and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,

and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,

and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, that are in Judah and in Benjamin, cities of bulwarks.

And he strengtheneth the bulwarks, and putteth in them leaders, and treasures of food, and oil, and wine,

and in every city and city targets and spears, and strengtheneth them very greatly; and he hath Judah and Benjamin.

And the priests, and the Levites, that are in all Israel, have stationed themselves by him, out of all their border,

for the Levites have left their suburbs and their possession, and they come to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons have cast them off from acting as priests to Jehovah,

and he establisheth to him priests for high places, and for goats, and for calves, that he made--

and after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those giving their heart to seek Jehovah, God of Israel, have come in to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Jehovah, God of their father.

And they strengthen the kingdom of Judah, and strengthen Rehoboam son of Solomon, for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

And Rehoboam taketh to him a wife, Mahalath, child of Jerimoth son of David, and Abigail daughter of Eliab, son of Jesse.

And she beareth to him sons, Jeush, and Shamaria, and Zaham.

And after her he hath taken Maachah daughter of Absalom, and she beareth to him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.

And Rehoboam loveth Maachah daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines--for eighteen wives he hath taken, and sixty concubines--and he begetteth twenty and eight sons, and sixty daughters.

And Rehoboam appointeth for head Abijah son of Maachah, for leader among his brethren, for to cause him to reign.

And he hath understanding, and spreadeth out of all his sons to all lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all cities of the bulwarks, and giveth to them provision in abundance; and he asketh a multitude of wives.

And it cometh to pass, at the establishing of the kingdom of Rehoboam, and at his strengthening himself, he hath forsaken the law of Jehovah, and all Israel with him.

And it cometh to pass, in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, come up hath Shishak king of Egypt against Jerusalem--because they trespassed against Jehovah--

with a thousand and two hundred chariots, and with sixty thousand horsemen, and there is no number to the people who have come with him out of Egypt--Lubim, Sukkiim, and Cushim--

and he captureth the cities of the bulwarks that are to Judah, and cometh in unto Jerusalem.

And Shemaiah the prophet hath come in unto Rehoboam and the heads of Judah who have been gathered unto Jerusalem from the presence of Shishak, and saith to them, `Thus said Jehovah, Ye have forsaken Me, and also, I have left you in the hand of Shishak;'

and the heads of Israel are humbled, and the king, and they say, `Righteous is Jehovah.'

And when Jehovah seeth that they have been humbled, a word of Jehovah hath been unto Shemaiah, saying, `They have been humbled; I do not destroy them, and I have given to them as a little thing for an escape, and I pour not out My fury in Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak;