1   And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin a hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
2   But  the  word  of  the  LORD  came  to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3   Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king  of  Judah,  and  to  all  Israel  in  Judah  and Benjamin, saying,
4   Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is from me. And they obeyed  the  words  of  the  LORD,  and  returned from going against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam Fortifies Judah
5   And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.
6   He built even Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
7   And Beth-zur, and Soco, and Adullam,
8   And Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
9   And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10   And Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities.
11   And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and store of food, and of oil and wine.
12   And in every city he put shields and spears, and made them very strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.

Priests and Levites Move to Judah
13   And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their territories.
14   For the Levites left their pastures lands and their possessions, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD:
15   And he ordained himself priests for the high places, and for the goat idols, and for the calf idols which he had made.
16   And after that, out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.
17   So  they  strengthened  the  kingdom  of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.

Descendants of Rehoboam
18   And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter  of  Jerimoth  the  son  of  David  as  his wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;
19   Who  bore  him  children;  Jeush,  and Shemariah, and Zaham.
20   And  after  her  he  took  Maachah  the daughter of Absalom; who bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21   And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines:  (for  he  took  eighteen  wives,  and threescore  concubines;  and  begat  twenty  and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)
22   And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.
23   And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fortified city: and he gave them provisions in abundance. And he procured many wives for them.