Shemaiah the Prophet Warns Rehoboam
(1 Kings 12.21-24)1 After Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem, he decided to attack Israel and regain control of the whole country. So he called together 180,000 soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
2 Meanwhile, the Lord had told Shemaiah the prophet 3 to tell Rehoboam and everyone from Judah and Benjamin, 4 “The Lord warns you not to go to war against the people from the northern tribes—they are your relatives. Go home! The Lord is the one who made these things happen.”
Rehoboam and his army obeyed the Lord's message and did not attack Jeroboam and his troops.
Rehoboam Fortifies Cities in Judah
5 Rehoboam ruled from Jerusalem, and he had several cities in Judah turned into fortresses so he could use them to defend his country. These cities included 6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth-Zur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. After he had fortified these cities in the territories of Judah and Benjamin, 11 he assigned an army commander to each of them and stocked them with supplies of food, olive oil, and wine, 12 as well as with shields and spears. He used these fortified cities to keep control of Judah and Benjamin.
The Priests and the Levites Support Rehoboam
13 The priests and Levites from the northern tribes of Israel gave their support to King Rehoboam. 14 And since Jeroboam and the kings of Israel that followed him would not allow any Levites to serve as priests, most Levites left their towns and pasturelands in Israel and moved to Jerusalem and other towns in Judah. 15 Jeroboam chose his own priests to serve at the local shrines in Israel and at the places of worship where he had set up statues of goat-demons and of calves.
16 But some of the people from Israel wanted to worship the Lord God, just as their ancestors had done. So they followed the priests and Levites to Jerusalem, where they could offer sacrifices to the Lord. 17 For the next three years, they lived in Judah and were loyal to Rehoboam and his kingdom, just as they had been loyal to David and Solomon.
Rehoboam's Family
18 Rehoboam married Mahalath, whose father was Jerimoth son of David, and whose mother was Abihail the daughter of Eliab and granddaughter of Jesse. 19 Rehoboam and Mahalath had three sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 Then Rehoboam married Maacah the daughter of Absalom. Their sons were Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 Rehoboam had 18 wives, but he also married 60 other women, and he was the father of 28 sons and 60 daughters. Rehoboam loved his wife Maacah the most, 22 so he chose their oldest son Abijah to be the next king. 23 Rehoboam was wise enough to put one of his sons in charge of each fortified city in his kingdom. He gave them all the supplies they needed and found wives for every one of them.
Semajab di kēbos
(1 Gao-aogu 12:21-24)1 Rehabeammi ge Jerusalems ǃnâb ge sīo, ǀguikaidisi tsî ǁkhaisadisiǀoadisi ǃkham ǁkhā aoga Judab ǃhaos tsî Benjaminni ǃhaos tsîra xu ge ǀhaoǀhao, Israeli ǃoagub nî torodīga, îs gaosisa ǁkhawa ǁîb, Rehabeammi di. 2 Xaweb ge ǃKhūba kēbo-aob Semajab ǃoa ge mî, 3 îb nē ǂhôasa Rehabeammi tsî Judab tsî Benjaminni ǃhaora di khoen hoana sī mîba: 4 “Tā ǃgûǂoa tsî sadu ǃgâsan, Israelǁîn ǃoagu sī torodī. Mâ-i hoa-i âdo sadu omde ǃoa oa, nē ǃkhais go tita xu ī xuige.” On ge ǃKhūb di mîsa ǁnâuǀnam tsî Jerobeammi ǃoagu ǃkhamǃgûsa ge ǀû.
Rehabeammi ge ǃāde ge omǂnami
5 Rehabeammi ge Jerusalems ǃnâ ge ǁan tsîb ge sao ra ǃādi Judab tsî Benjaminni tsîkha dide ge omǂnami: 6 Betlehems, Etams, Tekoas, 7 Betsurs, Sokos, Adulams, 8 Gats, Maresas, Sifs, 9 Adoraims, Lakis, Asekas, 10 Soras, Ajalons tsî Hebrons tsîde. 11 ǁÎb ge ǁîde ǀgaisase omǂnami tsî mâs hoas ǃnâ ǂamkhoeba ge mâi tsîb ge mâs hoas ǃnâ ǂûn, ǀkhera-oli-i, ǂauxûi-i 12 tsî ǁkhāti ǁkhaukhōdi tsî ǁhâigôagu tsîna ge ūhâ i. ǁNātib ge Judab tsî Benjaminni tsîkha ge gaoǂam.
Pristergu tsî Leviǁîgu ge Judab ǃnâ ra sī
13 Hoaraga ǀkharigu Israeli diga xu gu ge pristergu tsî Leviǁîgu tsîga Judab ǁga ge hā. 14 Leviǁîgu ge ǁîgu ǃû-aidi tsî xūn tsîna ǁnāxū tsî Judab tsî Jerusalems tsîra ǃoa ge doe, gao-aob Jerobeammi tsî ǁîb di ôagu tsîn ge ǃKhūb di pristerse gu nî ǃoaba ǃkhaisa mā-am gu tama i xui-ao. 15 Jerobeammi ge ǁîb di ǂhunuma pristerga ge ǁgaumâi, ǀūben ǀgoreǀîǃkhaidi ai gu nî ǃoabase, tsî ǁgâuagu tsî ǁîb ge kuru tsâukha di īkha tsîna nî ǀgoreǀîse. 16 Israelǁîn ǃhaodi di khoen ǃKhūb Israeli di Eloba ra ǃoaba ǂgaon hoan ge Leviǁîga Jerusalems ǁga ge sao, ǃKhūb ǁîn aboxagu di Eloban ǁguibade nî ǀkhī-ūba ǁkhāse. 17 ǁNā ǃkhais ge Judab di gaosisa ge ǀgaiǀgai, tsîn ge ǃnona kuriga Salomob ôab Rehabeamma gere ǂkhâǃnâ, tsî gao-aob Davidi tsî gao-aob Salomob tsîkha ǂgaeǂguis ǃnakan ge ûi hâ i khami ge ûi.
Rehabeammi di surib
18 Rehabeammi ge Mahalats, Davidi ôab Jerimoti ôasa ge ǃgame. ǁÎs di îs ge Eliab ôa tsî Isaib ǁnuris Abigailsa ge i. 19 ǁÎra ge ǃnona ǀgôagu, Jeusi, Semarjab tsî Sahammi tsîga ge ūhâ i. 20 Egab ge ǁîba Absalommi ôas Maakas ǀkha ge ǃgame tsîra ge haka ǀgôagu, Abiab, Ataib, Sisab tsî Selomiti tsîga ge ūhâ i. 21 Rehabeammi ge ǀhaob ai disiǁkhaisaǀa taradi tsî ǃnanidisi xōǀkhātaradi tsîna ge ūhâ i, tsîb ge ǀgamdisiǁkhaisaǀa ǀgôagu tsî ǃnanidisi ǀgôadi tsîna ge ǁorabahe. ǁÎb di taradi tsî xōǀkhātaradi hoadi xab ge Maakasa ǃnasase ge ǀnam i, 22 tsîb ge Maakas ôab Abiaba ǃgâsan hoan di danase mâi tsî ǁîba, gao-aoseb nî saoǃgon bise ge ǁgaumâi. 23 Rehabeammi ge gā-aise dī tsî ǀgôagu âba ǁguiǂamde mā tsî ǁîga ǃkharagaguse, Judab tsî Benjaminni di omǂnamisa ǃādi ǃnâ ge ǁan kai. ǁKhātib ge ǁîga ǃnāsa ǂûna mā tsî ǂgui taradi tsîna ge ūba.
