The Fenced Cities King Rehoboam Built |
2 Chronicles 11:1-23 2 Chronicles in [Smaller Chunks] |
When [king] Rehoboam [came] to Jerusalem, he gathered 180,000 chosen men [from] the [families] of Judah & Benjamin, [who] were warriors to fight against Israel, [so] the kingdom might [return] to [king] Rehoboam again. |
But the Word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying, Speak to Rehoboam, [Solomon’s] son, [Judah’s] king & to all srael in Judah & Benjamin, saying, The Lord [says this,] You shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren. Every man return to his house: for this is done [by] Me. |
And they obeyed the words of the Lord & they returned [instead of] going against Jeroboam. And [king] Rehoboam [lived] in Jerusalem & built cities [of] defense in Judah. |
[Rehoboam] even built: Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, BethZur, Shoco, [a.k.a. Sochoh,] Abdullam, Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, Zorah, Aijalon, Hebron, which are fenced cities in Judah & Benjamin. |
And he fortified the strongholds & put captains in them & [stored food,] oil & wine [in them.] And in several [cities, Rehoboam] put shields & spears & made them [exceedingly] strong, having Judah & Benjamin on his side. |
And the priests & the Levites, [who] were in all Israel & out of all their coasts, [took a stand with Jeroboam.] For the Levites left their possession & suburbs & came to Judah & Jerusalem. |
[Since] Jeroboam & his sons had [kept the Levites] from [performing] the priest’s office to the Lord. And [Jeroboam appointed his own] priests for the high places & for the [demons] & calves [that Jeroboam] had made. |
[1 Kings 12:28-31 [Upon which,] king [Jeroboam] took counsel & made 2 gold calves & said to [the Israelites,] It is too much for yo to go up to Jerusalem [to sacrifice.] [See,] your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And he set [up] one in BethEl & he put the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even to Dan. And he made a house of high places & made the [lowest] of the people, priests, which were not of the sons of Levi.] |
[Any of those left] of all the tribes of Israel, [whose] hearts [were] set to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their [forefathers.] |
So, they strengthened the kingdom of Judah & made Rehoboam, [Solomon’s] son, strong [for] 3 years. For 3 years they walked in the [paths] of David & Solomon. And [king] Rehoboam [married] Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, [David’s] son. |
And [he married] Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, [Jesse’s] son; [who bore] him children: Jeush, Shamariah & Zaham. After her, [Rehoboam married] Maachah, [Absalom’s] daughter, [who bore] him: Abijah, Attai, Ziza & Shelomith. |
And Rehoboam loved Maachah, [Absalom’s] daughter [more than] all his wives & [mistresses.] (For [Rehoboam married] 18 wives & [had] 30 [mistresses] & [fathered] 28 sons & 30 daughters.) |
And Rehoboam made Abijah, [Maachah’s] son, the [1st born,] to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king. |
And [Rehoboam] dealt wisely & [distributed] all his children throughout all the countries of Judah & Benjamin, [into] every fenced city. He gave them [an] abundance of [food.] And [Rehoboam] desired many wives. |