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Then the young men who grew up with him spoke with him, saying, "Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us.' Thus you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's loins!

So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of events from God, that Yahweh might establish His word, which He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

‘Thus says Yahweh, "You shall not go up and fight against your brothers; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me."'" So they listened to the words of Yahweh and returned from going against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built cities for fortifications in Judah.

For the Levites left their pasture lands and their possession of land and went to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from ministering as priests to Yahweh—

And he set up priests of his own for the high places, for the goat demons and for the calves which he had made—

They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and gave courage to Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines. For he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

And Rehoboam set up Abijah the son of Maacah to be head and ruler among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.

And he acted with discernment and distributed some of his sons through all the lands of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities, and he gave them sustenance in abundance. And he sought a multitude of wives for them.

And Abijah began the battle with a military force of mighty men, 400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam arranged them all for battle against him with 800,000 chosen men who were mighty men of valor.

and worthless men gathered about him, vile men, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon; he was young and timid and could not exert his strength before them.

"So now you intend to exert your strength before the kingdom of Yahweh by the hand of the sons of David, being a great multitude and having with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made for gods for you.

Have you not driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to ordain himself with a bull from the herd and seven rams, even he may become a priest of what are no gods.

But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the sons of Aaron are ministering to Yahweh as priests, and the Levites are in their work.

And every morning and evening they burn to Yahweh burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and the showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening; for we keep the responsibility given by Yahweh our God, but you have forsaken Him.

And behold, God is with us at our head and His priests with the signal trumpets to raise the shout of war against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed."

So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son became king in his place. The land was quiet for ten years during his days.

for he removed the foreign altars and high places, shattered the sacred pillars, cut the Asherim in pieces,