And when all Israel saw that the king did not hearkened to them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? Neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel. Now see to th

Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the men subject to task work. And the sons of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.

Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,

Thus says LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers. Return every man to his house. For this thing is of me. So they hearkened to the words of LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.

He built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,

And 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.

And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of victuals, and oil and wine.

And in every city [he put] shields and spears, and made them exceedingly strong. And Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border.

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 LORD.

And he appointed priests for him for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves which he had made.

And after them, such as set their hearts to seek LORD, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem out of all the tribes of Israel to sacrifice to LORD, the God of their fathers.

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.

And 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.

And she bore sons for him: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.

And after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom. And she bore for him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.

And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines. For he took eighteen wives, and thirty concubines, and begot twenty-eight sons and thirty daughters.

And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, the ruler among his brothers. For [he intended] to make him king.

And he dealt wisely, and dispersed all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city. And he gave them provisions in abundance. And he sought [for them] many wives.

And it came to pass, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he was strong, that he forsook the law of LORD, and all Israel with him.

And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against LORD,

with twelve hundred chariots, and thirty thousand horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.

And he took the fortified cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.

Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the rulers of Judah, who were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, Thus says LORD, Ye have forsaken me, therefore I have also left you in the hand of

Then the rulers of Israel and the king humbled themselves, and they said, LORD is righteous.

And when LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jer

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 LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all away. He also took away the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard that kept the door of the king's house.

And it was so, that, as often as the king entered into the house of LORD, the guard came and bore them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber.

And when he humbled himself, the wrath of LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him altogether. And moreover in Judah there were good things.

So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned. For Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Isra

And he did that which was evil, because he did not set his heart to seek LORD.

Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, after the manner of 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.

He reigned three years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

And Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men. And Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men who were mighty men of valor.

And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel.

Should ye not know that LORD, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, 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, rose up, and rebelled against his lord.

And there were gathered to him worthless men, base fellows, who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could not withstand them.

And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of LORD in the hand of the sons of David, and ye are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods.

Have ye not driven out the priests of LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for you after the manner of the peoples of [other] lands? So that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven r

But as for us, LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. And [we have] priests ministering to LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work.

And they burn to LORD every morning and every evening burnt-offerings and sweet incense. Also [they set] the showbread in order upon the pure table, and the candlestick of gold with the lamps of it to burn every evening. For we kee

And, behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. O sons of Israel, fight ye not against LORD, the God of your fathers. For ye shall not prosper.

But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come around 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 them. And they cried to 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 sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand.

And Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter. So there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.

Thus the sons of Israel were brought under at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon LORD, the God of their fathers.

And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns of it, and Jeshanah with the towns of it, and Ephron with the towns of it.

Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah. And LORD smote him, and he died.

But Abijah grew mighty, and took to himself fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters.

And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the commentary 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.

And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of LORD his God.

For he took away the foreign altars, and the high places, and broke down the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim,

and commanded Judah to seek LORD, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.

Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images. And the kingdom was quiet before him.

And he built fortified cities in Judah. For the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because LORD had given him rest.

For he said to Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars. The land is yet before us, because we have sought LORD our God. We have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side. So

And Asa had an army that bore bucklers and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand, and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and eighty thousand. All these were mighty men of valor.

And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a million, and three hundred chariots. And he came to Mareshah.

Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

And Asa cried to LORD his God, and said, LORD, there is none besides thee to help, between the mighty and him who has no strength. Help us, O LORD our God. For we rely on thee, and in thy name we come against this multitude. O LORD

So LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah. And the Ethiopians fled.

And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. And there fell of the Ethiopians so many that they could not recover themselves. For they were destroyed before LORD, and before his army. And they carried away very m

And they smote all the cities round about Gerar. For the fear of LORD came upon them. And they despoiled all the cities. For there was much spoil in them.

They also smote the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep in abundance, and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.

And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.

And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. LORD is with you while ye are with him. And if ye seek him, he will be found of you, but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

Now for a long time Israel was without the TRUE God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

But when in their distress they turned to LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.

And in those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.

And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city. For God vexed them with all adversity.

But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack. For your work shall be rewarded.

And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephra

And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon, for they came to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that LORD his God was with him.

And they sacrificed to LORD in that day of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

And they entered into the covenant to seek LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul.

And that whoever would not seek LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

And they swore to LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

And all Judah rejoiced at the oath. For they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them. And LORD gave them rest round about.

And also he removed Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah. And Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

And there was no more war to the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who dwelt at Damascus, saying,

[There is] a league between me and thee, as between my father and thy father. Behold, I have sent thee silver and gold. Go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel that he may depart from me.

And Ben-hadad hearkened to king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. And they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali.

And it came to pass, when Baasha heard of it, that he left off building Ramah, and let his work cease.

Then Asa the king took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber of it, with which Baasha had built. And he built Geba and Mizpah with it.

And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him, Because thou have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on LORD thy God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped out of thy hand.