2Chronicles 11

 

וַיָּבֹא רְחַבְעָם יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיַּקְהֵל אֶת־בֵּית יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן מֵאָה וּשְׁמוֹנִים אֶלֶף בָּחוּר עֹשֵׂה מִלְחָמָה   11:1

 לְהִלָּחֵם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהָשִׁיב אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה לִרְחַבְעָם׃

2Chr. 11:1   And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen prepared for battle, to fight with Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.

This verse and the next three are similar to 1Kin. 12:21 to 12:24.  The remaining verses don’t show up anywhere else, so they constitute new information.

וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־שְׁמַעְיָהוּ אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר׃   11:2

2Chr. 11:2   But the word of the Lord occurred to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying,

אֱמֹר אֶל־רְחַבְעָם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וְאֶל כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּיהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן לֵאמֹר׃   11:3

2Chr. 11:3   “Speak to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all of Israel in Judah and Benjamin saying,

כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה לֹא־תַעֲלוּ וְלֹא־תִלָּחֲמוּ עִם־אֲחֵיכֶם שׁוּבוּ אִישׁ לְבֵיתוֹ כִּי מֵאִתִּי נִהְיָה הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה   11:4

 וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה וַיָּשֻׁבוּ מִלֶּכֶת אֶל־יָרָבְעָם׃

2Chr. 11:4   ‘Thus says the Lord:  ‘You shall not go up and you shall not fight with your brethren.  Return each to his house.  For this thing has occurred because of Me.’”  And they heard the words of the Lord, and they turned back from going against Jeroboam.

וַיֵּשֶׁב רְחַבְעָם בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וַיִּבֶן עָרִים לְמָצוֹר בִּיהוּדָה׃   11:5

2Chr. 11:5   And Rehoboam dwelled in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defense throughout Judah.

וַיִּבֶן אֶת־בֵּית־לֶחֶם וְאֶת־עֵיטָם וְאֶת־תְּקוֹעַ׃   11:6

2Chr. 11:6   And he built Beth-lehem and Etam and Tekoa

וְאֶת־בֵּית־צוּר וְאֶת־שׂוֹכוֹ וְאֶת־עֲדֻלָּם׃   11:7

2Chr. 11:7   and Beth-zur and Soco and Adullam

וְאֶת־גַּת וְאֶת־מָרֵשָׁה וְאֶת־זִיף׃   11:8

2Chr. 11:8   and Gath and Mareshah and Ziph

וְאֶת־אֲדוֹרַיִם וְאֶת־לָכִישׁ וְאֶת־עֲזֵקָה׃   11:9

2Chr. 11:9   and Adoraim and Lachish and Azekah

וְאֶת־צָרְעָה וְאֶת־אַיָּלוֹן וְאֶת־חֶבְרוֹן אֲשֶׁר בִּיהוּדָה וּבְבִנְיָמִן עָרֵי מְצֻרוֹת׃   11:10

2Chr. 11:10   and Zorah and Aijalon and Hebron, which are stronghold cities in Judah and Benjamin.

וַיְחַזֵּק אֶת־הַמְּצֻרוֹת וַיִּתֵּן בָּהֶם נְגִידִים וְאֹצְרוֹת מַאֲכָל וְשֶׁמֶן וָיָיִן׃   11:11

2Chr. 11:11   And he hardened the strongholds and put captains and storehouses of food and oil and wine in them,

וּבְכָל־עִיר וָעִיר צִנּוֹת וּרְמָחִים וַיְחַזְּקֵם לְהַרְבֵּה מְאֹד וַיְהִי־לוֹ יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן׃   11:12

2Chr. 11:12   and in every city and town, shields and spears, so he made them most exceedingly strong, and Judah was his, and Benjamin.

וְהַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַלְוִיִּם אֲשֶׁר בְּכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל הִתְיַצְּבוּ עָלָיו מִכָּל־גְּבוּלָם׃   11:13

2Chr. 11:13   And the priests and the Levites who were throughout all of Israel presented themselves to him from all their territory.

כִּי־עָזְבוּ הַלְוִיִּם אֶת־מִגְרְשֵׁיהֶם וַאֲחֻזָּתָם וַיֵּלְכוּ לִיהוּדָה וְלִירוּשָׁלִָם כִּי־הִזְנִיחָם יָרָבְעָם וּבָנָיו מִכַּהֵן   11:14

 לַיהוָה׃

2Chr. 11:14   For the Levites had abandoned their open lands and their possession and came to Judah and to Jerusalem, because Jeroboam, with his sons, ejected them from the priest's office for the Lord.

וַיַּעֲמֶד־לוֹ כֹּהֲנִים לַבָּמוֹת וְלַשְּׂעִירִים וְלָעֲגָלִים אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה׃   11:15

2Chr. 11:15   And he himself appointed priests to the high places and for the satyrs and for the calves that he made.

וְאַחֲרֵיהֶם מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנֹּתְנִים אֶת־לְבָבָם לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאוּ יְרוּשָׁלִַם   11:16

 לִזְבּוֹחַ לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם׃

2Chr. 11:16   And after them, from all the tribes of Israel, those setting their heart to seek the Lord, God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, God of their fathers.

וַיְחַזְּקוּ אֶת־מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה וַיְאַמְּצוּ אֶת־רְחַבְעָם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹה לְשָׁנִים שָׁלוֹשׁ כִּי הָלְכוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ דָּוִיד   11:17

  וּשְׁלֹמֹה לְשָׁנִים שָׁלוֹשׁ׃

2Chr. 11:17   And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam son of Solomon strong for three years, for they walked in the path of David and Solomon for three years.

וַיִּקַּח־לֹו רְחַבְעָם אִשָּׁה אֶת־מָחֲלַת (בֶּן־) [בַּת־] יְרִימֹות בֶּן־דָּוִיד אֲבִיהַיִל בַּת־אֱלִיאָב בֶּן־יִשָׁי׃   11:18

2Chr. 11:18   Then, Rehoboam took to himself a wife, Mahalath, a daughter of Jerimoth, a daughter of David (of Abihail the daughter of Eliab son of Jesse),

The word in the parentheses would be translated as son of, but the name Mahalath is a woman’s, so the word is corrected in the brackets to translate to daughter of.

וַתֵּלֶד לוֹ בָּנִים אֶת־יְעוּשׁ וְאֶת־שְׁמַרְיָה וְאֶת־זָהַם׃   11:19

2Chr. 11:19   and she bore sons for him, Jeush and Shemariah and Zaham.

וְאַחֲרֶיהָ לָקַח אֶת־מַעֲכָה בַּת־אַבְשָׁלוֹם וַתֵּלֶד לוֹ אֶת־אֲבִיָּה וְאֶת־עַתַּי וְאֶת־זִיזָא וְאֶת־שְׁלֹמִית׃   11:20

2Chr. 11:20   And after her he took Maacah daughter of Absalom, and she bore for him Abijah and Attai and Ziza and Shelomith.

וַיֶּאֱהַב רְחַבְעָם אֶת־מַעֲכָה בַת־אַבְשָׁלוֹם מִכָּל־נָשָׁיו וּפִילַגְשָׁיו כִּי נָשִׁים שְׁמוֹנֶה־עֶשְׂרֵה נָשָׂא   11:21

 וּפִילַגְשִׁים שִׁשִּׁים וַיּוֹלֶד עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁמוֹנָה בָּנִים וְשִׁשִּׁים בָּנוֹת׃

2Chr. 11:21   And Rehoboam loved Maacah, daughter of Absalom, more than all his wives or his concubines (for he supported eighteen wives and sixty concubines), and he begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

וַיַּעֲמֵד לָרֹאשׁ רְחַבְעָם אֶת־אֲבִיָּה בֶן־מַעֲכָה לְנָגִיד בְּאֶחָיו כִּי לְהַמְלִיכוֹ׃   11:22

2Chr. 11:22   And Rehoboam appointed Abijah, the son of Maacah, to be chief, to be the prince among his brothers, for he thought to make him king.

וַיָּבֶן וַיִּפְרֹץ מִכָּל־בָּנָיו לְכָל־אַרְצוֹת יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן לְכֹל עָרֵי הַמְּצֻרוֹת וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם הַמָּזוֹן לָרֹב וַיִּשְׁאַל   11:23

 הֲמוֹן נָשִׁים׃

2Chr. 11:23   And he had understanding, so he dispersed all the other sons to all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the stronghold cities, and gave sustenance to them in abundance and sought an abundance of wives [for them].

The Hebrew for the words in the brackets are not present in this verse.  But we have to assume they were intended by the chronicler.  Basically, Rehoboam bribed his other sons to stay away from Jerusalem by dispersing them, making them relatively rich, and providing them with many wives.

 

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