2 Chronicles 12 (NET)

1 After Rehoboam’s rule was established and solidified, he and all Israel rejected the law of the Lord. 2 Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, in King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 3 He had 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and an innumerable number of soldiers who accompanied him from Egypt, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. 4 He captured the fortified cities of Judah and marched against Jerusalem.

5 Shemaiah the prophet visited Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were assembled in Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have rejected me, so I have rejected you and will hand you over to Shishak.’”1 6 The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.”2 7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, he gave this message to Shemaiah:3 “They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them. I will deliver them soon.4 My anger will not be unleashed against5 Jerusalem through6 Shishak. 8 Yet they will become his subjects, so they can experience how serving me differs from serving the surrounding nations.”7

9 King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including the gold shields that Solomon had made. 10 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard8 who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 11 Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guards carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom.9

12 So when Rehoboam10 humbled himself, the Lord relented from his anger and did not annihilate him;11 Judah experienced some good things.12 13 King Rehoboam solidified his rule in Jerusalem;13 he14 was forty-one years old when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home.15 Rehoboam’s16 mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. 14 He did evil because he was not determined to follow the Lord.17

15 The events of Rehoboam’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded18 in the Annals of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer that include genealogical records. 16 Then Rehoboam passed away19 and was buried in the City of David.20 His son Abijah replaced him as king.

1tn Heb “also I have rejected you into the hand of Shishak.” 2tn Or “fair,” meaning the Lord’s punishment of them was just or fair. 3tn Heb “the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying.” 4tn Heb “and I will give to them soon deliverance.” 5tn Or “gush forth upon.” 6tn Heb “by the hand of.” 7tn Heb “so they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the lands.” 8tn Heb “runners” (also in v. 11). 9tn Heb “to the chamber of the runners.” 10tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 11tn Heb “the anger of the Lord turned from him and did not destroy completely.” 12tn Heb “and also in Judah there were good things.” 13tn Heb “and the king, Rehoboam, strengthened himself in Jerusalem and ruled.” 14tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The recurrence of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead. 15tn Heb “the city where the Lord chose to place his name from all the tribes of Israel.” 16tn Heb “his”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. 17tn Heb “because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.” 18tn Heb “As for the events of Rehoboam, the former and the latter, are they not written?” 19tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” 20sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.