| New Living Translation | English Standard Version |
| 1When Rehoboam arrived at Jerusalem, he mobilized the men of Judah and Benjamin—180,000 select troops—to fight against Israel and to restore the kingdom to himself. | 1When 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. |
| 2But the LORD said to Shemaiah, the man of God, | 2But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God: |
| 3“Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin: | 3“Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, |
| 4‘This is what the LORD says: Do not fight against your relatives. Go back home, for what has happened is my doing!’” So they obeyed the message of the LORD and did not fight against Jeroboam. Rehoboam Fortifies Judah | 4‘Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against 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. |
| 5Rehoboam remained in Jerusalem and fortified various towns for the defense of Judah. | 5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defense in Judah. |
| 6He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, | 6He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, |
| 7Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, | 7Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, |
| 8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, | 8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, |
| 9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, | 9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, |
| 10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These became the fortified towns of Judah and Benjamin. | 10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. |
| 11Rehoboam strengthened their defenses and stationed commanders in them, and he stored supplies of food, olive oil, and wine. | 11He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine. |
| 12He also put shields and spears in these towns as a further safety measure. So only Judah and Benjamin remained under his control. | 12And he put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin. |
| 13But all the priests and Levites living among the northern tribes of Israel sided with Rehoboam. | 13And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all places where they lived. |
| 14The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to serve the LORD as priests. | 14For the Levites left their common lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the LORD, |
| 15Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the pagan shrines, where they worshiped the goat and calf idols he had made. | 15and he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the calves that he had made. |
| 16From all the tribes of Israel, those who sincerely wanted to worship the LORD, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem, where they could offer sacrifices to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. | 16And 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. |
| 17This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they supported Rehoboam son of Solomon, for during those years they faithfully followed in the footsteps of David and Solomon. Rehoboam’s Family | 17They 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. |
| 18Rehoboam married his cousin Mahalath, the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Eliab son of Jesse. | 18Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, |
| 19Mahalath had three sons—Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. | 19and she bore him sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. |
| 20Later Rehoboam married another cousin, Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom. Maacah gave birth to Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. | 20After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. |
| 21Rehoboam loved Maacah more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and they gave birth to twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. | 21Rehoboam 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). |
| 22Rehoboam appointed Maacah’s son Abijah as leader among the princes, making it clear that he would be the next king. | 22And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. |
| 23Rehoboam also wisely gave responsibilities to his other sons and stationed some of them in the fortified towns throughout the land of Judah and Benjamin. He provided them with generous provisions, and he found many wives for them. | 23And 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. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. |
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