2Chronicles:10-13

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* And Rehoboam went to Shechem : for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king . * And it came to pass , when Jeroboam the son of Nebat , who was in Egypt , whither he had fled from the presence of Solomon the king , heard it , that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt . * And they sent and called him . So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam , saying , * Thy father made our yoke grievous : now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father , and his heavy yoke that he put upon us , and we will serve thee . * And he said unto them , Come again unto me after three days . And the people departed . * And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived , saying , What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people ? * And they spake unto him , saying , If thou be kind to this people , and please them , and speak good words to them , they will be thy servants for ever . * But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him , and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him , that stood before him . * And he said unto them , What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people , which have spoken to me , saying , Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us ? * And the young men that were brought up with him spake unto him , saying , Thus shalt thou answer the people that spake unto thee , saying , Thy father made our yoke heavy , but make thou it somewhat lighter for us ; thus shalt thou say unto them , My little finger shall be thicker than my father 's loins . * For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you , I will put more to your yoke : my father chastised you with whips , but I will chastise you with scorpions . * So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day , as the king bade , saying , Come again to me on the third day . * And the king answered them roughly ; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men , * And answered them after the advice of the young men , saying , My father made your yoke heavy , but I will add thereto : my father chastised you with whips , but I will chastise you with scorpions . * So the king hearkened not unto the people : for the cause was of God , that the LORD might perform his word , which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat . * And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them , the people answered the king , saying , What portion have we in David ? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse : every man to your tents , O Israel : and now , David , see to thine own house . So all Israel went to their tents . * But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah , Rehoboam reigned over them . * Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute ; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones , that he died . But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot , to flee to Jerusalem . * And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day . * And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem , he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men , which were warriors , to fight against Israel , that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam . * But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God , saying , * Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon , king of Judah , and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin , saying , * Thus saith the LORD , Ye shall not go up , nor fight against your brethren : return every man to his house : for this thing is done of me . And they obeyed the words of the LORD , and returned from going against Jeroboam . * And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem , and built cities for defence in Judah . * He built even Bethlehem , and Etam , and Tekoa , * And Bethzur , and Shoco , and Adullam , * And Gath , and Mareshah , and Ziph , * And Adoraim , and Lachish , and Azekah , * And Zorah , and Aijalon , and Hebron , which are in Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities . * And he fortified the strong holds , and put captains in them , and store of victual , and of oil and wine . * And in every several city he put shields and spears , and made them exceeding strong , having Judah and Benjamin on his side . * And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts . * For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession , and came to Judah and Jerusalem : for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest 's office unto the LORD : * And he ordained him priests for the high places , and for the devils , and for the calves which he had made . * And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem , to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers . * So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah , and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong , three years : for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon . * And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife , and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse ; * Which bare him children ; Jeush , and Shamariah , and Zaham . * And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom ; which bare him Abijah , and Attai , and Ziza , and Shelomith . * And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines : (for he took eighteen wives , and threescore concubines ; and begat twenty and eight sons , and threescore daughters .) * And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief , to be ruler among his brethren : for he thought to make him king . * And he dealt wisely , and dispersed of all his children throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin , unto every fenced city : and he gave them victual in abundance . And he desired many wives . * And it came to pass , when Rehoboam had established the kingdom , and had strengthened himself , he forsook the law of the LORD , and all Israel with him . * And it came to pass , that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem , because they had transgressed against the LORD , * With twelve hundred chariots , and threescore thousand horsemen : and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt ; the Lubims , the Sukkiims , and the Ethiopians . * And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah , and came to Jerusalem . * Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam , and to the princes of Judah , that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak , and said unto them , Thus saith the LORD , Ye have forsaken me , and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak . * Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves ; and they said , The LORD is righteous . * And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves , the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah , saying , They have humbled themselves ; therefore I will not destroy them , but I will grant them some deliverance ; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak . * Nevertheless they shall be his servants ; that they may know my service , and the service of the kingdoms of the countries . * So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem , and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD , and the treasures of the king 's house ; he took all : he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made . * Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass , and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard , that kept the entrance of the king 's house . * And when the king entered into the house of the LORD , the guard came and fetched them , and brought them again into the guard chamber . * And when he humbled himself , the wrath of the LORD turned from him , that he would not destroy him altogether : and also in Judah things went well . * So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem , and reigned : for Rehoboam was one and forty 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 . And his mother 's name was Naamah an Ammonitess . * And he did evil , because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD . * Now the acts of Rehoboam , first and last , are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet , and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies ? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually . * And Rehoboam slept with his fathers , and was buried in the city of David : and Abijah his son reigned in his stead . * Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah . * He reigned three years in Jerusalem . His mother 's name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah . And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam . * And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war , even four hundred thousand chosen men : Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men , being mighty men of valour . * And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim , which is in mount Ephraim , and said , Hear me , thou Jeroboam , and all Israel ; * Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever , even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt ? * Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat , the servant of Solomon the son of David , is risen up , and hath rebelled against his lord . * And there are gathered unto him vain men , the children of Belial , and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon , when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted , and could not withstand them . * And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David ; and ye be a great multitude , and there are with you golden calves , which Jeroboam made you for gods . * Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD , the sons of Aaron , and the Levites , and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands ? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams , the same may be a priest of them that are no gods . * But as for us , the LORD is our God , and we have not forsaken him ; and the priests , which minister unto the LORD , are the sons of Aaron , and the Levites wait upon their business : * And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense : the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table ; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof , to burn every evening : for we keep the charge of the LORD our God ; but ye have forsaken him . * And , behold , God himself is with us for our captain , and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you . O children of Israel , fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers ; for ye shall not prosper . * But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them : so they were before Judah , and the ambushment was behind them . * And when Judah looked back , behold , the battle was before and behind : and they cried unto the LORD , and the priests sounded with the trumpets . * Then the men of Judah gave a shout : and as the men of Judah shouted , it came to pass , that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah . * And the children of Israel fled before Judah : and God delivered them into their hand . * And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter : so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men . * Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time , and the children of Judah prevailed , because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers . * And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam , and took cities from him , Bethel with the towns thereof , and Jeshanah with the towns thereof , and Ephrain with the towns thereof . * Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah : and the LORD struck him , and he died . * But Abijah waxed mighty , and married fourteen wives , and begat twenty and two sons , and sixteen daughters . * And the rest of the acts of Abijah , and his ways , and his sayings , are written in the story of the prophet Iddo . * So Abijah slept with his fathers , and they buried him in the city of David : and Asa his son reigned in his stead . In his days the land was quiet ten years .

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