Shemaiah's Prophecy
(1 Kings 12.21-24)1 When King Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he called together 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah. He intended to go to war and restore his control over the northern tribes of Israel. 2 But the Lord told the prophet Shemaiah 3 to give this message to King Rehoboam and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin: 4 “Do not attack your own relatives. Go home, all of you. What has happened is my will.” They obeyed the Lord's command and did not go to fight Jeroboam.
Rehoboam Fortifies the Cities
5 Rehoboam remained in Jerusalem and had fortifications built for the following cities of Judah and Benjamin: 6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Bethzur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. 11 He had them strongly fortified and appointed a commander for each of them, and in each one he placed supplies of food, olive oil, and wine, 12 and also shields and spears. In this way he kept Judah and Benjamin under his control.
Priests and Levites Come to Judah
13 From all the territory of Israel priests and Levites came south to Judah. 14 The Levites abandoned their pastures and other land and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, because King Jeroboam of Israel and his successors would not let them serve as priests of the Lord. 15 Jeroboam appointed priests of his own to serve at the pagan places of worship and to worship demons and the idols he made in the form of bull-calves. 16 From all the tribes of Israel people who sincerely wanted to worship the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem, so that they could offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 17 This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they supported Rehoboam son of Solomon and lived as they had under the rule of King David and King Solomon.
Rehoboam's Family
18 Rehoboam married Mahalath, whose father was Jerimoth son of David and whose mother was Abihail, the daughter of Eliab and granddaughter of Jesse. 19 They had three sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 Later he married Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, and they had four sons: Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 In all, Rehoboam had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. Of all his wives and concubines he loved Maacah best, 22 and he favored her son Abijah over all his other children, choosing him as the one to succeed him as king. 23 Rehoboam wisely assigned responsibilities to his sons and stationed them throughout Judah and Benjamin in the fortified cities. He provided generously for them and also secured many wives for them.
Bulebesambeli gwa Shemaiya
(1 Bomambo 12:21-24)1 Kukati Rehoboamu eswika ku Jerusalema, kakubunganya babhayani bali zwiwulu zwili zana lina makumi ali zhanakadzi (180 000), kudwa mu nsha wose wa Juda ne ludzi gose gwa Bhenjamini. Akazwimisila kunogwa ne Iziraela kubgwilizila mbuso kuna Rehobhoamu. 2 Koga dama le Ndzimu likazha kuna Shemaya we nlebesambeli, likandwa likati, 3 “Lebeleka na Rehoboamu nkololo wa Solomoni mambo we Juda ne bathu bose ne ng'umba yose ya Juda neya Bhenjamini, ubadwe uti, 4 ‘Yahwe bakati musiyende kunogwa ne bakanyi kwenyu Baiziraela. Mmwe ne mmwe ngaabgwilile ku nzi uwe, ngobe tjashingikala tjodwa kundili.’ ” Ndizo bose bakahwa matama a Yahwe, bakashandukila ku nzi, sekwaleba Yahwe.
Rehoboamu unobaka matizhilo
5 Rehoboamu kagala mu Jerusalema ngono kabaka mizi mikulu ye matizhilo mu Juda. 6 Wakabaka Bhetelehema ne Etamu ne Tekowa ne 7 Bhetizuri ne Soko ne Adulamu ne 8 Gati ne Mareshahi ne Zifi ne 9 Adoraimu ne Lakhishi ne Azekahi ne 10 Zora ne Aijaloni ne Heburoni, iyeyi ndiyo mizi mikulu ye Juda ne Bhenjamini. 11 Wakabaka matizhilo iyawa akasima ngono kabiga batungamili mu ali kabiga ne matula e zojiwa ne mafuta ne nkumbi we zhambi. 12 Wakabiga zwivikisi ne mathumo mu mizi mikulu yose, eisimisa. Ndizo Juda ne Bhenjamini dzakabe dzili dzidze.
13 Ngono bapirisiti ne Balevi bakabe bali mu Iziraela bakazha kunli bedwa mu magalo akathubukana abakabe begala. 14 Balevi bakasiya shango yabo ye mafulilo ne thundu ngono bakazha ku Juda ne Jerusalema ngoti Jeroboamu ne bakololo babe bakabe babathubula mukushingila Yahwe, 15 ngono kabiga bapirisiti babe kuti bashinge mu magalo pezhugwi ekunamata ne kutungamila mu kunamata midzimu ye zwifano zwe mbudzi ne phulu yaakabe athama. 16 Ngono ibabo bakabe bakazwipa kutobela Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakabatobela kudwa mu njudzi dzose dze Iziraela bezha ku Jerusalema bewodusila Yahwe zwibhayilo Ndzimu wa botate babo. 17 Bakasimisa bushe gwe Juda, kwe makole matatu bakathama kuti Rehoboamu nkololo wa Solomoni adzikame mu bumambo, ngoti bakatobela zila dza Dafite na Solomoni kwe makole matatu.
Nsha wa Rehoboamu
18 Rehoboamu kalobola Mahalati, Mahalati ali nkololokadzi wa Jerimoti, Jerimoti ali nkololo wa Dafite, mme ba Mahalati bali Abihaile, Abihaile ali nkololokadzi wa Eliyabu mwana we mwana wa Jesi. 19 Kanzwalila bakololo bali batatu ibo bakabe bali bo Jeushi na Shemariya na Zahamu. 20 Kwakati shule katola Maaka nkololokadzi wa Abusalomu ngono iye kazwala Abija na Atai na Ziza na Shelomiti. 21 Rehoboamu wakabe eda Maaka nkololokadzi wa Abusalomu kupinda bakadzi babe bose ne kupinda bakadzi batukunu bose. Rehoboamu wakabe ana bakadzi bali gumi lina bali zhanakadzi (18) ne balongwana babo bose bali makumi ali tathatu (60) ne bakololo bali makumi mabili ana bali zhanakadzi (28) ne bakololokadzi bali makumi ali tathatu (60), 22 ngono Rehoboamu kabiga Abija nkololo wa Maaka kuti abe iye ntungamili mu banunguna babe ngoti wakabe eshaka kuti azhe ambige mambo. 23 Rehoboamu kakobela bakololo babe mishingo nge butjenjedu ngono kababiga batungamili mu mituthu yose ye matizhilo ye Juda ne Bhenjamini. Ngono wakabatjengeta kwazo kakale kabashakila bakadzi banjinji.