2 Chronicles, Chapter 11

1. And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and gathered a hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors from the house of Judah, to fight against Israel, so that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.    2. But the word of the LORD 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. So says the LORD, You shall not go up nor fight against your brothers. Let every man return to his house. For this thing is done by Me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam.    5. And Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built cities for defense in Judah.    6. And he built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,    7. and Beth-zur, and Shoco, and Adullam,    8. and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,    9. and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,    10. and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities.    11. And he fortified the strongholds and put commanders in them, and stores of food, and of oil and wine.    12. And he put in each separate city shields and spears, and made them very strong, and Judah and Benjamin were his.    13. And the priests and the Levites in all Israel presented themselves to him out of all their borders.    14. For the Levites left their open lands and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem. For Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priests' office to the LORD.    15. And he ordained priests for himself for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.    16. And after them, those who gave their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel, out of all the tribes of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers.    17. And they made the kingdom of Judah stronger, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years. For three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.    18. And Rehoboam took Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David as a wife for himself, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse,    19. who bore him sons, Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham.    20. And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom, who bore Abijah to him, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.    21. And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines (for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters).    22. And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brothers, in order to make him king.    23. And he dealt wisely and dispersed all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities. And he gave them food in abundance. And he demanded many wives.