Chapter
11
When Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, she assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen women, who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah the woman of God, saying,
Speak to Rehoboam the daughter of Solomin, queen of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
Thus says Yahweh, You shall not go up, nor fight against your sisters: return every woman to her house; for this thing is of me. So they listened to the words of Yahweh, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.
She built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
Beth Zur, and Soco, 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, fortified cities.
She fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, and oil and wine.
In every city she put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to her.
The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel resorted to her out of all their border.
For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and her daughters cast them off, that they should not execute the priestess's office to Yahweh;
and she appointed her priests for the high places, and for the female goats, and for the calves which she had made.
After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their mothers.
So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the daughter of Solomin strong, three years; for they walked three years in the way of Davina and Solomin.
Rehoboam took her a husband, Mahalath the son of Jerimoth the daughter of Davina, and of Abihail the son of Eliab the daughter of Jesse;
and he bore her daughters: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.
After him she took Maacah the son of Absalom; and he bore her Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
Rehoboam loved Maacah the son of Absalom above all her husbands and her concubines: (for she took eighteen husbands, and sixty concubines, and became the mother of twenty-eight daughters and sixty sons.)
Rehoboam appointed Abijah the daughter of Maacah to be chief, even] the princess among her sisters; for [he was minded to make her queen.
She dealt wisely, and dispersed of all her daughters throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city: and she gave them food in abundance. She sought for them many husbands.