21. Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.

22. Judah did that which was evil in The LORD's sight, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done.

23. For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

24. There were also sodomites in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD drove out before the children of Israel.

25. In the fifth year of king Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem,

26. and he took away the treasures of The LORD's house, and the treasures of the king's house. He even took away all of it, including all the gold shields which Solomon had made.

27. King Rehoboam made shields of brass in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house.

28. It was so, that as often as the king went into The LORD's house, the guard bore them, and brought them back into the guard room.

29. Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

30. There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

31. Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in David's city. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. Abijam his son reigned in his place.

1. Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

2. When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of king Solomon), Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.

3. They sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

4. "Your father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you."

5. He said to them, "Come again to me after three days."So the people departed.

6. King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, "What counsel do you give me about how to answer these people?"

7. They spoke to him, saying, "If you are kind to these people, please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever."

8. But he abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

9. He said to them, "What counsel do you give, that we may give an answer to these people, who have spoken to me, saying, 'Make the yoke that your father put on us lighter?'"

10. The young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall tell the people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter on us;' thus you shall say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.

11. Now whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.'"

12. So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king asked, saying, "Come to me again the third day."

13. The king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam abandoned the counsel of the old men,

14. and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions."

15. So the king didn't listen to the people; for it was brought about by God, that the LORD might establish his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16. When all Israel saw that the king didn't listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "What portion have we in David? We don't have an inheritance in the son of Jesse! Every man to your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David." So all Israel departed to their tents.

17. But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

18. Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and the children of Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

19. So Israel rebelled against David's house to this day.

1. When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.

2. But The LORD's word came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

3. "Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,

4. 'The LORD says, "You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers! Every man return to his house; for this thing is of me."'" So they listened to The LORD's words, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

5. Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.

6. He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

7. Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,

8. Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,

9. Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

10. Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin.

11. He fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, oil and wine.

12. He put shields and spears in every city, and made them exceedingly strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

13. The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stood with him out of all their territory.

14. For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest's office to The LORD.

15. He himself appointed priests for the high places, for the male goats, and for the calves which he had made.

16. After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those who set their hearts to seek The LORD, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to The LORD, the God of their fathers.

17. So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years; for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon.

18. Rehoboam took a wife for himself, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse.

19. She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

20. After her, he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

21. Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

22. Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, the prince among his brothers; for he intended to make him king.

23. He dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city. He gave them food in abundance and he sought many wives for them.