1 When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam. 2 But Yahweh’s word 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 ‘Yahweh says, "You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers! Every man return to his house; for this thing is of me."’" So they listened to Yahweh’s words, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah. 6 He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin. 11 He fortified the strongholds and put captains in them with stores of food, oil and wine. 12 He put shields and spears in every city, and made them exceedingly strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
13 The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stood with him out of all their territory. 14 For the Levites left their pasture lands and their possessions, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest’s office to Yahweh. 15 He himself appointed priests for the high places, for the male goat and calf idols which he had made. 16 After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those who set their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their fathers. 17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon.
18 Rehoboam took a wife for himself, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse. 19 She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 After her, he took Maacah the granddaughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah the granddaughter of 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. 22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, the prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. 23 He dealt wisely, and dispersed some of his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city. He gave them food in abundance; and he sought many wives for them.
1 罗波安回到耶路撒冷， 就召集犹大家和便雅悯家， 共十八万人， 都是精兵， 要和以色列人交战， 好把王国夺回， 再归自己。
2 但耶和华的话临到神人示玛雅， 说：
3 "你要告诉所罗门的儿子、犹大王罗波安， 以及所有住在犹大和便雅悯的以色列人， 说：
4 ‘耶和华这样说： 你们不可上去， 也不可和你们的兄弟交战。你们各自回家去吧， 因为这事是出于我。’"于是他们听从耶和华的话， 都回家， 不去攻打耶罗波安。
5 罗波安住在耶路撒冷， 他在犹大建造了多座设防城。
6 他修筑了伯利恒、以坦、提哥亚、
7 伯．夙、梭哥、亚杜兰、
8 迦特、玛利沙、西弗、
9 亚多莱音、拉吉、亚西加、
10 琐拉、亚雅仑、希伯仑； 这些都是犹大和便雅悯境内的设防城。
11 他又巩固这些设防城， 在城里设军长， 贮备粮食、油和酒。
12 又在各城装备了大盾牌和矛枪， 使这些城市十分坚固。这样， 犹大和便雅悯都在他统治之下。
13 全以色列的祭司和利未人， 都从各地来归向罗波安。
14 利未人放弃了他们的草场和产业， 来到犹大和耶路撒冷， 是因为耶罗波安和他的儿子排斥他们， 不准他们作祭司事奉耶和华。
15 耶罗波安为邱坛、公山羊神， 以及他铸造的牛犊， 自己设立了祭司。
16 以色列众支派中所有定意寻求耶和华以色列的 神的， 都随着利未人来到耶路撒冷， 向耶和华他们列祖的 神献祭。
17 这样， 他们就加强了犹大国的势力， 使所罗门的儿子罗波安强盛了三年， 因为他们在这三年， 跟随了大卫和所罗门的道路。
18 罗波安娶了大卫的儿子耶利摩的女儿玛哈拉作妻子， 她也就是耶西的儿子以利押的女儿亚比孩的女儿；
19 她给罗波安生了几个儿子， 就是耶乌施、示玛利雅和撒罕。
20 后来， 罗波安又娶了押沙龙的外孙女玛迦； 玛迦给他生了亚比雅、亚太、细撒和示罗密。
21 罗波安共娶了十八个妻子和六十个妾； 共生了二十八个儿子， 六十个女儿； 他却爱押沙龙的外孙女玛迦， 胜过其他的妻妾。
22 于是罗波安立了玛迦的儿子亚比雅作太子， 在他的兄弟中为首， 因为罗波安想立他继承王位。
23 罗波安很有智慧地把自己的儿子分散在犹大和便雅悯各地的设防城中， 供给他们大批粮食， 又为他们娶了多位妻子。