2 Chronicles 11

When Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Binyamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam. ²But the word of Allah came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ³Speak to Rehoboam Ibn Sulayman, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Binyamin, saying, ⁴Thus says Allah, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers: return every man to his house; for this thing is of me. So they listened to the words of Allah, and returned from going against Jeroboam. ⁵Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah. ⁶He built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, ⁷Beth Zur, and Soco, 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 Binyamin, fortified cities. ¹¹He fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, and oil and wine. ¹²In every city he put shields and spears, and made them very strong. Judah and Binyamin belonged to him. ¹³The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border. ¹⁴For 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 Allah; ¹⁵and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the male goats, and for the calves which he had made. ¹⁶After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek Allah, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Allah, the God of their fathers. ¹⁷So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam Ibn Sulayman strong, three years; for they walked three years in the way of Dawud and Sulayman. ¹⁸Rehoboam took him a wife, Mahalath Bint Jerimoth Ibn Dawud, and of Abihail Bint Eliab Ibn Jesse; ¹⁹and she bore him sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰After her he took Maacah Bint Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹Rehoboam loved Maacah Bint Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.) ²²Rehoboam appointed Abijah Ibn Maacah to be chief, even the prince among his brothers; for he was minded to make him king. ²³He dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Binyamin, to every fortified city: and he gave them food in abundance. He sought for them many wives.