Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

Rehoboam had established his kingdom and strengthened himself, but he abandoned the law of the Lord. All Israel followed him in this rejection.

In the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign, Shishak, the king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem because they had disobeyed the Lord. He brought with him twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and an innumerable multitude from Egypt, including the Lubim, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians.

Shishak took control of the fortified cities that belonged to Judah and arrived at Jerusalem. The prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who were gathered there because of Shishak, saying, "This is what the Lord says: You have turned your backs on me, so I have handed you over to the control of Shishak."

The princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves, acknowledging that the Lord was righteous. When the Lord saw their humility, he sent word to Shemaiah saying, "They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them entirely, but I will give them some relief, and my anger will be restrained from pouring out upon Jerusalem through Shishak."

However, they would still remain under Shishak's control. So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem once more, took away the treasures from the house of the Lord and the king's palace, and carried off all the gold shields that Solomon had made.

King Rehoboam replaced the gold shields with bronze ones and entrusted them to the captains of the guard who stood at the entrance to his palace. Whenever the king entered the house of the Lord, the guards would take away the bronze shields and return them to their quarters.

When King Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord's anger turned away from him. Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned for seventeen years, beginning at the age of forty-one, in the city that the Lord had chosen as the place where he would put his name, a city founded by David.

This was the city where King Rehoboam's mother, Naamah an Ammonitess, lived. Throughout his reign, Rehoboam did evil because he refused to seek the Lord with all his heart. His entire story is recorded in the writings of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer, including genealogical accounts; there were constant wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

Eventually, King Rehoboam died and was buried in the city of David. He was succeeded by his son Abijah as king.