1 And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, and he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin—one hundred and eighty thousand chosen {bachur: elite fighters} men ready for battle—to fight against Israel and restore the kingdom {mamlakah: royal domain} to Rehoboam.
2 And the word {devar: divine communication} of the LORD {YHWH, Message Originator} came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying:
3 Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king {melech: ruling office} of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying {le’mor: direct-speech marker}.
4 Thus says the LORD {YHWH, Supreme Commander}, “You shall not go up nor fight against your brothers {acheichem: fellow Israelites}. Return, each man to his house.” For this matter is from Me. And they listened to the words of the LORD and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 And Rehoboam {Rechav'am: King of Judah} dwelt in Jerusalem and built cities for fortification {matsor: military defense} in Judah.
6 And he built Bethlehem {beit-lechem: house of bread}, Etam, and Tekoa {tekoa: pitched settlement}.
7 And Beth Zur {beit-Tzur: rock fortress}, and Sokho, and Adullam {Adullam: strategic refuge}.
8 And Gath {gat: border stronghold}, and Mareshah, and Ziph {zif: Judean town},
9 And he built Adorayim{Adorayim: twin-peaked city} and Lachish{Lachish: Judean stronghold}, and Azekah.
10 And Zorah {tsar’ah: boundary town} and Aijalon {ayyalon: upland settlement} and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, are fortified cities.
11 And he strengthened the fortified cities {hametsurot: defensive towns} and placed commanders {negidim: appointed officers} in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine.
12 In every city{ir: fortified center}, in each one, there were shields and spears, and he strengthened them{wayechazzekem: made secure} greatly; and Judah and Benjamin were his.
13 And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stationed themselves {hityatzevu: took position} by him from all their territory {gevulam: district boundaries}.
14 The Levites abandoned their pasturelands {migresheihem: open fields assigned to Levites} and their possession, and they went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had turned them away from serving as priests for the LORD {YHWH, Worship Recipient}.
15 And he appointed {vayya'amed-lo: personally instituted} for himself priests for the high places and for the goat idols {seirim: demonic spirits} and for the calf idols which he had made.
16 And after them, from all the tribes of Israel, those who set their hearts to seek the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Lord} came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers {avot: patriarchal ancestors}.
17 And they strengthened the kingdom {malchut: royal domain} of Judah and made Rehoboam son of Solomon strong for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years {shalosh: three years}.
18 And Rehoboam took {vayikkach-lo: personal acquisition} for himself a wife {ishah: woman in marriage}, Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth son of David and of Abihail, the daughter of Eliab son of Jesse.
19 And she bore {vateled: brought forth children} sons {banim: male offspring} to him: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 And after her, he took Maakah {maakah: royal lineage} daughter of Absalom {avshalom: David’s son}, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 And Rehoboam loved Maakah the daughter of Absalom more than all his wives {nashim: formal marriage relationships} and his concubines. For he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons {banim: dynastic male heirs} and sixty daughters.
22 And Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maakah as chief {la-rosh: leading authority} among his brothers, for he intended to make him king {lehamlikho: cause to reign}.
23 He acted with discretion {vayaven: shrewd governance} and dispersed some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin to every fortified city. He provided them with abundant provisions and arranged many marriages {hamon nashim: dynastic alliances}.