VIN(i)
1 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors, to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3 "Say to Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,
4 Thus said the LORD, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers: 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.
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.
6 as Bethlehem, Etam and Tekoa;
7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
11 And he strengthened the fortifications and put commanders in them, along with stores of food, olive oil, and wine.
12 He put shields and spears in every city, and made them exceeding strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
13 The priests and Levites in every region of Israel aligned with Rehoboam.
14 The priests abandoned their land and property and went to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his descendants rejected them as the LORD's priests.
15 and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves which he had made.
16 People from every tribe of Israel who were determined to seek the LORD the true God of Israel followed the Levitical priests to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their ancestors.
17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and emboldened Rehoboam son of Solomon, for three years,—for they walked in the way of David and Solomon, for three years.
18 Rehoboam married Mahalath, the daughter of David's son Jerimoth, along with Abihail, the daughter of Jesse's son Eliab,
19 She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom. She bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith.
21 And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines (for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered 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 And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons throughout all the land of Judah and Benjamin, through all the fortified cities, and gave abundant provisions to them and obtained many wives for them.