12But when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the LORD, and all Israel followed him in this sin.H7346H3559H4438H2393H5800H8451H3068H34782Because they were unfaithful to the LORD, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign.H2549H8141H4428H7346H7895H4428H4714H5927H3389H4603H30683He came with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horses, and a countless army of foot soldiers, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Ethiopians.H3967H505H7393H8346H505H6571H5971H4557H935H4714H3864H5525H35694Shishak conquered Judah's fortified towns and then advanced to attack Jerusalem.H3920H4694H5892H3063H935H33895The prophet Shemaiah then met with Rehoboam and Judah's leaders, who had all fled to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah told them, "This is what the LORD says: You have abandoned me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak."H935H8098H5030H7346H8269H3063H622H3389H6440H7895H559H559H3068H5800H637H5800H3027H78956Then the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is right in doing this to us!"H8269H3478H4428H3665H559H3068H66627When the LORD saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: "Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem.H3068H7200H3665H1697H3068H8098H559H3665H7843H5414H4592H6413H2534H5413H3389H3027H78958But they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers."H5650H3045H5656H5656H4467H7769So King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the treasuries of the LORD's Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.H7895H4428H4714H5927H3389H3947H214H1004H3068H214H4428H1004H3947H3947H4043H2091H8010H621310King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace.H4428H7346H6213H4043H5178H6485H3027H8269H7323H8104H6607H4428H100411Whenever the king went to the Temple of the LORD, the guards would also take the shields and then return them to the guardroom.H1767H4428H935H1004H3068H7323H935H5375H7725H7323H837212Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD's anger was turned away, and he did not destroy him completely. There were still some good things in the land of Judah.H3665H639H3068H7725H7843H3617H3063H1697H2896
Summary of Rehoboam’s Reign
13King Rehoboam firmly established himself in Jerusalem and continued to rule. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from among all the tribes of Israel as the place to honor his name. Rehoboam's mother was Naamah, a woman from Ammon.H4428H7346H2388H3389H4427H7346H259H705H8141H1121H4427H4427H7651H6240H8141H3389H5892H3068H977H7626H3478H7760H8034H517H8034H5279H598514But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the LORD with all his heart.H6213H7451H3559H3820H1875H306815The rest of the events of Rehoboam's reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Shemaiah the Prophet and The Record of Iddo the Seer, which are part of the genealogical record. Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other.H1697H7346H7223H314H3789H1697H8098H5030H5714H2374H3187H4421H7346H3379H311716When Rehoboam died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Abijah became the next king.H7346H7901H1H6912H5892H1732H29H1121H4427
, and a countless army of foot soldiers, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Ethiopians.H3967
