The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  12Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

  Solomon’s Great Wealth

  (1 Kin. 10:14–29; 2 Chr. 1:14–17)

  13eThe weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

  14besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

  15And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield.

  16He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; 3three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the fHouse of the Forest of Lebanon.

  17Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.

  18The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne; there were 4armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.

  19Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.

  20All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.

  21For the king’s ships went to gTarshish with the servants of 5Hiram. Once every three years the 6merchant ships came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and 7monkeys.

  22So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

  23And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

  24Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, harmor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.

  25Solomon ihad four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.

  26jSo he reigned over all the kings kfrom 8the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.

  27lThe king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees mas abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.

  28nAnd they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

  Death of Solomon

  (1 Kin. 11:41–43)

  29oNow the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of pAhijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of qIddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

  30rSolomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

  31Then Solomon 9rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

  2 Chronicles 10

  The Revolt Against Rehoboam

  (1 Kin. 12:1–19)

  1And aRehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.

  2So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was in Egypt, bwhere he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam returned from Egypt.

  3Then they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

  4“Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

  5So he said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” And the people departed.

  6Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”

  7And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

  8cBut he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

  9And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”

  10Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist!

  11‘And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with 1scourges!’ ”

  12So dJeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.”

  13Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders,

  14and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, 2“My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with 3scourges!”

  15So the king did not listen to the people; efor the turn of events was from God, that the LORD might fulfill His fword, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

  16Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:

  “What share have we in David?

  We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

  Every man to your tents, O Israel!

  Now see to your own house, O David!”

  So all Israel departed to their tents.

  17But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.

  18Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of revenue; but the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem.

  19gSo Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

  2 Chronicles 11

  Rehoboam’s Reign in Judah

  1Now awhen Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled from the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.

  2But the word of the LORD came bto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

  3“Speak to 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 or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.” ’ ” Therefore they obeyed the words of the LORD, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.

  Rehoboam Fortifies the Cities

  5So Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.

  6And he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

  7Beth Zur, Sochoh, Adullam,

  8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,

  9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

  10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and Benjamin, fortified cities.

  11And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine.

  12Also 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

  (1 Kin. 14:21–24)

  13And from all their territories the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel took their stand with him.

  14For the Levites left ctheir common-lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for dJeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to the LORD.

  15eThen he appointed for himself priests for the 1high places, for fthe demons, and gthe calf idols which he had made.

  16hAnd 2after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their he
art to seek the LORD God of Israel, icame to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers.

  17So they jstrengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

  The Family of Rehoboam

  18Then Rehoboam took for himself as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of kEliah the son of Jesse.

  19And she bore him children: Jeush, Shamariah, and Zaham.

  20After her he took lMaachah the 3granddaughter of mAbsalom’s; and she bore him nAbijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

  21Now Rehoboam loved Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom’s more than all his owives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

  22And Rehoboam pappointed qAbijah the son of Maachah as chief, to be leader among his brothers; for he intended to make him king.

  23He dealt wisely, and 4dispersed some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, to every rfortified city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. He also sought many wives for them.

  2 Chronicles 12

  Egypt Attacks Judah

  (1 Kin. 14:25–28)

  1Now ait came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that bhe forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel along with him.

  2cAnd it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD,

  3with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and people without number who came with him out of Egypt—dthe Lubim and the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians.

  4And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came to Jerusalem.

  5Then eShemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the LORD: ‘You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.’ ”

  6So the leaders of Israel and the king fhumbled themselves; and they said, g“The LORD is righteous.”

  7Now when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, hthe word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

  8“Nevertheless ithey will be his servants, that they may distinguish jMy service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations.”

  9kSo Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had lmade.

  10Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them mto the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.

  11And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guard would go and bring them out; then they would take them back into the guardroom.

  12When he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah.

  The End of Rehoboam’s Reign

  (1 Kin. 14:21, 22, 29–31)

  13Thus King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now nRehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king; and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, othe city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother’s name was Naamah, an pAmmonitess.

  14And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.

  15The acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, qand of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? rAnd there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

  16So Rehoboam 1rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. Then sAbijah2 his son reigned in his place.

  2 Chronicles 13

  Abijah Reigns in Judah

  (1 Kin. 15:1–8)

  1In athe eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over bJudah.

  2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was 1Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

  3Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.

  4Then Abijah stood on Mount cZemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:

  5“Should you not know that the LORD God of Israel dgave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, eby a covenant of salt?

  6“Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and frebelled against his lord.

  7“Then gworthless rogues gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was hyoung and inexperienced and could not withstand them.

  8“And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you are the gold calves which Jeroboam imade for you as gods.

  9j“Have you not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, kso that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of lthings that are not gods?

  10“But as for us, the LORD is our mGod, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the LORD are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties.

  11n“And they burn to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the oshowbread in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps pto burn every evening; for we keep the command of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken Him.

  12“Now look, God Himself is with us as our qhead, rand His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”

  13But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

  14And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they scried out to the LORD, and the priests sounded the trumpets.

  15Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God tstruck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

  16And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand.

  17Then Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain.

  18Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, ubecause they relied on the LORD God of their fathers.

  19And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and vEphrain2 with its villages.

  20So Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the LORD wstruck him, and xhe died.

  21But Abijah grew mighty, married fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

  22Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayings are written in ythe 3annals of the prophet Iddo.

  2 Chronicles 14

  Asa Reigns over Judah

  1So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then aAsa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.

  Asa Reigns in Judah

  (1 Kin. 15:9–15)

  2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God,

  3for he r
emoved the altars of the foreign gods and bthe 1high places, and cbroke down the sacred pillars dand cut down the wooden images.

  4He commanded Judah to eseek the LORD God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.

  5He also removed the 2high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him.

  6And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given him frest.

  7Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.

  8And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried 3shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew gbows; all these were mighty men of hvalor.

  9iThen Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to jMareshah.

  10So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

  11And Asa kcried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is lnothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and min Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”

  12So the LORD nstruck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.

  13And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to oGerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the LORD and His army. And they carried away very much 4spoil.

  14Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for pthe fear of the LORD came upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much 5spoil in them.

  15They also 6attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.