1. When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered Judah and Benjamin – a hundred and eighty thousand able young men – to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.
2. But this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God:
3. ‘Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,
4. “This is what the Lord says: do not go up to fight against your fellow Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.” ’ So they obeyed the words of the Lord and turned back from marching against Jeroboam.
5. Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defence in Judah:
6. Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7. Beth Zur, Soko, Adullam,
8. Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9. Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10. Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
11. He strengthened their defences and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine.
12. He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
13. The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him.
14. The Levites even abandoned their pasture-lands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord