2 Chronicles 12

Rehoboam abandons God, Egypt defeats Israel

When Rehoboam established his rule and he was strong, he abandoned the Existing One's orders and the rest of Israel followed him. Because they had been unfaithful to the Existing One, in Rehoboam's fifth year, Egypt's king Shishak attacked Jerusalem with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. He attacked with so many people (including Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians) that they couldn't be counted. They captured Judah's fortified cities as far as Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet went to Rehoboam and Judah's princes in Jerusalem and said, "The Existing One says, 'You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you, handing you over to Shishak.'" Then Israel's king and princes humbled themselves and said, "The Existing One is righteous." When the Existing One saw that they humbled themselves, he told Shemaiah: "Since they humbled themselves, I won't destroy them. I'll give them some deliverance and I won't pour out my wrath on Jerusalem through Shishak. But they'll still become his servants, so they'll recognize my mercy and the mercy of the other countries."

Rehoboam repents

So Egypt's king Shishak attacked Jerusalem, and looted the valuables that were in the Existing One's temple and the king's house. He took everything. He took the gold shields Solomon had made, so King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and dedicated them to the officers who guarded the king's house. Every time the king would go to the Existing One's house, the guard would carry them there and then carry them back to their vault. When he humbled himself, the Existing One redirected his anger to avoid completely destroying him, and everything in Judah was good again.

Rehoboam dies

So King Rehoboam's reign grew strong again in Jerusalem. He was 41 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 17 years in Jerusalem, the city that the Existing One chose out of all the other Israelite cities to establish himself. His mother's name was Naamah (the Ammonite). He did what was evil, since he didn't commit his heart to pursuing the Existing One.

Rehoboam’s son Abijah becomes king

Rehoboam's history from first to last, is recorded in the chronicles of Shemaiah (the prophet) and Iddo (the seer). There were continual wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Rehoboam finally joined his ancestors and slept in the ground, buried in David's city while his son Abijah took the throne in his place.

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2 Chronicles 13

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2 Chronicles 11