The Bible in Basic English BBE
Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB
1 And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, and got together the men of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand of his best fighting-men, to make war against Israel and get the kingdom back for Rehoboam.
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1 And when Rechav’am was come to Yerushalayim, he gathered of the Bais Yehudah and Binyamin a hundred and fourscore thousand bachur oseh milchamah (chosen men, which were warriors), to make war against Yisroel, that he might restore the mamlachah to Rechav’am.
2 But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying,
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But the Devar Hashem came to Shemayah the Ish HaElohim, saying,
3 Say to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,
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Speak unto Rechav’am ben Sh’lomo Melech Yehudah, and to kol Yisroel in Yehudah and Binyamin, saying,
4 The Lord has said, You are not to go to war against your brothers: let every man go back to his house, for this thing is my purpose. So they gave ear to the words of the Lord and were turned back from fighting against Jeroboam.
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Thus saith Hashem, Ye shall not go up, nor make war against your achim. Shuvu (return) every ish to his bais, for this thing is done from Me. And they obeyed the divrei Hashem, and returned back from going against Yarov’am.
5 Now Rehoboam kept in Jerusalem, building walled towns in Judah.
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And Rechav’am dwelt in Yerushalayim, and built arim lematzor (cities for defense) in Yehudah.
6 He was the builder of Beth-lehem and Etam and Tekoa
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He built even Beit-Lechem, and Eitam, and Tekoa,
7 And Beth-zur and Soco and Adullam
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Bei-Tzur, Socho, Adulam,
8 And Gath and Mareshah and Ziph
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Gat, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 And Adoraim and Lachish and Azekah
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And Adorayim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10 And Zorah and Aijalon and Hebron, walled towns in Judah and Benjamin.
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And Tzorah, and Ayalon, and Chevron, which are in Yehudah and in Binyamin arei metzurot (fortified cities).
11 And he made the walled towns strong, and he put captains in them and stores of food, oil, and wine.
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And he fortified the metzurot (fortifications), and put negidim (rulers) in them, and otzerot ma’achal (storage places of food), and of shemen and yayin.
12 And in every town he put stores of body-covers and spears, and made them very strong. And Judah and Benjamin were his.
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And in all the cities he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong, having Yehudah and Binyamin on his side.
13 And the priests and Levites who were in all Israel came together to him from every part of their country.
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And the Kohanim and the Levi’im that were in kol Yisroel availed themselves to him from all their territories.
14 For the Levites gave up their living-places and their property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his sons had sent them away, not letting them be priests to the Lord;
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For the Levi’im abandoned their commonlands and their achuzzah (possession, estate) and came to Yehudah and Yerushalayim; for Yarov’am and his banim had cast them off from executing the office of Kohen unto Hashem.
15 And he himself made priests for the high places, and for the images of he-goats and oxen which he had made.
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And he ordained him kohanim for the high places, and for the se’irim (goat idols, demons) and for the agalim (calf idols) which he had made.
16 And after them, from all the tribes of Israel, all those whose hearts were fixed and true to the Lord, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to make offerings to the Lord, the God of their fathers.
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And after them from all the Shivtei Yisroel such as set their hearts to seek Hashem Elohei Yisroel came to Yerushalayim, to sacrifice unto Hashem Elohei Avoteihem.
17 So they went on increasing the power of the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, strong for three years; and for three years they went in the ways of David and Solomon.
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So they strengthened the Malchut Yehudah, and made Rechav’am ben Sh’lomo strong, shanim shalosh. For shanim shalosh they walked in the Derech Dovid u’Sh’lomo.
18 And Rehoboam took as his wife Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David and of Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, the son of Jesse;
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And Rechav’am took him Machalat bat Yerimot Ben Dovid as isha, and Avichayil bat Eliav ben Yishai,
19 And she had sons by him, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
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Which bore him banim: Yeush, and Shemaryah, and Zaham.
20 And after her he took Maacah, the daughter of Absalom; and she had Abijah and Attai and Ziza and Shelomith by him.
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And after her he took Ma’achah bat Avshalom, who bore him Aviyah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shlomit.
21 Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, was dearer to Rehoboam than all his wives and his servant-wives: (for he had eighteen wives and sixty servant-wives, and was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.)
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And Rechav’am loved Ma’achah bat Avshalom more than any of his nashim and his pilagshim; (for he took eighteen nashim, and threescore pilagshim, and fathered twenty and eight banim, and threescore banot.)
22 Rehoboam made Abijah, the son of Maacah, chief and ruler among his brothers, for it was his purpose to make him king.
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And Rechav’am made Aviyah ben Ma’achah the rosh, to be nagid among his achim, for he intended to make him melech.
23 And in his wisdom he had his sons stationed in every walled town through all the lands of Judah and Benjamin; and he gave them a great store of food, and took wives for them.
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And he acted wisely, and dispersed kol banim of him throughout all the lands of Yehudah and Binyamin, unto all of the arei hametzurot (fortified cities); and he gave them mazon (provision, food) in abundance. And he took for them many wives.
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The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.