1Then Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and gathered a hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors from the house of Judah to fight against Israel, so that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam. 2But the Word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3"Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, 4'Thus says the LORD, "You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is done by Me." ' " And they obeyed the words of the LORD and returned from going against Jeroboam.

5And Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built cities for defense in Judah. 6And he built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, 7And Beth Zur, and Sochoh, and Adullam, 8And Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph, 9And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, 10And Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities. 11And he fortified the strongholds and put commanders in them, and stores of food, and of oil and wine. 12And he put in each separate city shields and spears, and made them very strong, and Judah and Benjamin were his.

13And the priests and the Levites in all Israel presented themselves to him out of all their borders.

14And the Levites left their open lands and their possessions, and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off so that they could not execute the priests' office unto the LORD. 15For he ordained priests for himself for the high places, and for the demons, and for the golden calves which he had made. 16And after the Levites had left, then those who gave their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel, out of all the tribes of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers. 17And they made the kingdom of Judah stronger and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years. For three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.

18And Rehoboam took Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David as a wife for himself, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, 19Who bore him sons, Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham. 20And after her he took Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom, who bore Abijah to him, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. 21And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines (for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). 22And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren in order to make him king. 23And he dealt wisely and dispersed all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities. And he gave them food in abundance. And he demanded many wives for them.