1Rehobowamu atafika ku Yerusalemu anasonkhanitsa asilikali 180,000 a fuko la Yuda ndi Benjamini kuti akachite nkhondo ndi Israeli, kuti abwezeretse ufumu kwa Rehobowamu.
2Koma Yehova anayankhula ndi munthu wa Mulungu Semaya kuti, 3“Kawuze Rehobowamu mwana wa Solomoni mfumu ya Yuda ndi Aisraeli onse ali mu Yuda ndi Benjamini kuti, 4‘Yehova akuti: Musapite kukamenyana ndi abale anu. Pitani kwanu, aliyense wa inu, pakuti izi ndikuchita ndine.’ ” Choncho anamvera mawu a Yehova ndi kubwerera osapita kukamenyana ndi Yeroboamu.
Rehobowamu Akhwimitsa Chitetezo cha Yuda
5Rehobowamu amakhala mu Yerusalemu ndipo anamanga mizinda ya chitetezo iyi mu Yuda: 6Betelehemu, Etamu, Tekowa, 7Beti Zuri, Soko, Adulamu, 8Gati, Maresa, Zifi, 9Adoraimu, Lakisi, Azeka, 10Zora, Ayaloni ndi Hebroni. Iyi ndiye inali mizinda yotetezedwa ya Yuda ndi Benjamini. 11Iye anakhwimitsa chitetezo cha mizindayi ndipo anayikamo atsogoleri a ankhondo, pamodzi ndi chakudya, mafuta a olivi ndi vinyo. 12Mʼmizinda yonse anayikamo zishango zikuluzikulu ndi mikondo, ndipo anachititsa kuti mizindayo ikhale yamphamvu. Choncho iye amalamulira Yuda ndi Benjamini.
13Ansembe ndi Alevi a mʼmadera onse a Israeli anakhala mbali ya Rehobowamu. 14Alevi anasiya malo awo owetera ziweto ndi katundu wawo, ndi kubwera ku Yuda ndi ku Yerusalemu chifukwa Yeroboamu ndi ana ake anawakana kukhala ansembe a Yehova. 15Ndipo iye anasankha ansembe akeake a pa malo opatulika ndi a mafano a mbuzi ndi mwana wangʼombe amene anapanga. 16Anthu ochokera fuko lililonse la Israeli amene anatsimikiza mitima yawo kufunafuna Yehova Mulungu wa Israeli, ankapitabe ku Yerusalemu kukapereka nsembe kwa Yehova, Mulungu wa makolo awo. 17Iwo analimbikitsa ufumu wa Yuda, ndipo anathandiza Rehobowamu mwana wa Solomoni kwa zaka zitatu. Pa nthawi imeneyi iye amatsatira zochita za Davide ndi Solomoni.
Banja la Rehobowamu
18Rehobowamu anakwatira Mahalati, amene abambo ake anali Yerimoti, mwana wa Davide, ndipo amayi ake anali Abihaili, mwana wa Eliabu, mwana wa Yese. 19Mkaziyo anamubereka ana aamuna awa: Yeusi, Semariya ndi Zahamu. 20Kenaka anakwatira Maaka, mwana wamkazi wa Abisalomu, amene anamubereka Abiya, Atai, Ziza ndi Selomiti. 21Rehobowamu ankamukonda Maaka mwana wa Abisalomu kuposa aliyense mwa akazi ake ndi azikazi. Iye anali ndi akazi 18, azikazi 60, ana aamuna 28 ndi ana aakazi 60.
22Rehobowamu anasankha Abiya mwana wa Maaka kuti akhale mtsogoleri pa abale ake, ndi cholinga choti adzakhale mfumu. 23Iye anachita mwanzeru, pomwaza ena mwa ana ake ku madera onse a Yuda ndi Benjamini, ndi ku mizinda yonse yotetezedwa. Iye anawapatsa zinthu zambiri ndiponso anawafunira akazi ambiri.
1When 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.
2But 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.
Rehoboam Fortifies Judah
5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah: 6Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7Beth Zur, Soko, Adullam, 8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine. 12He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
13The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him. 14The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord 15when he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made. 16Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 17They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time.
Rehoboam’s Family
18Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 19She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham. 20Then he married Maakah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith. 21Rehoboam loved Maakah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maakah as crown prince among his brothers, in order to make him king. 23He acted wisely, dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and took many wives for them.
