011:004 Thus says Yahweh, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers: return every man to his house; for this thing is of me. So they listened to the words of Yahweh, and returned from going against Jeroboam. 011:005 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah. 011:006 He built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, 011:007 Beth Zur, and Soco, and Adullam, 011:008 and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph, 011:009 and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, 011:010 and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities. 011:011 He fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, and oil and wine. 011:012 In every city [he put] shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him. 011:013 The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border. 011:014 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 Yahweh; 011:015 and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the male goats, and for the calves which he had made. 011:016 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 fathers. 011:017 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years; for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon. 011:018 Rehoboam took him a wife, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, [and of] Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse; 011:019 and she bore him sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham. 011:020 After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. 011:021 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.) 011:022 Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, [even] the prince among his brothers; for [he was minded] to make him king. 011:023 He dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city: and he gave them food in abundance. He sought [for them] many wives. 012:001 It happened, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he was strong, that he forsook the law of Yahweh, and all Israel with him. 012:002 It happened in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against Yahweh,