Egypt Invades Judah
1 When Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had become powerful, he abandoned the law of the Lord and all Israel with him. 2 In the fifth year of king Rehoboam, because they had trespassed against the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, 3 with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. The people were without number who came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians. 4 He took the fortified cities which belonged to Judah and came to Jerusalem.
5 Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak and said to them, “The Lord says, ‘You have forsaken me, therefore I have also left you in the hand of Shishak.’ ”
6 Then the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves, and they said, “The Lord is righteous.”
7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem at the hand of Shishak. 8 Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may know the difference between serving me and serving kingdoms of other countries.”
Egypt Plunders Jerusalem
9 So 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 all of it away. He also took away the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 10 King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. 11 As often as the king entered into the house of the Lord, the guard came and bore them, then brought them back into the guard room. 12 When he humbled himself, the anger of the Lord turned from him, so as not to destroy him altogether. Moreover, there were good things found in Judah.
The Death of Rehoboam
13 So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned, for Rehoboam was 41 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14 He did that which was evil, because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, in the genealogies? There were wars continually between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 16 Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place.