2 Chronicles 12

1 After Rehoboam [the son of Solomon, king of Judah] had established [strengthened, confirmed] his sovereignty [royal power, kingdom] and royal power [authority, dominion], he and all Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] with him forsook [abandoned, turned away from] the Law [instruction, teachings] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 2 In the fifth [initial, beginning] year of Rehoboam’s [king of Judah, son of Solomon] reign, because they had been unfaithful [acted treacherously, broken faith] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], Shishak [an Egyptian king] king of Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa] came up [ascended, rose] and attacked [went to war against] Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Palestine] word study 3 with 1,200 [twelve hundred] chariots [vehicles, teams of horses], 60,000 [threescore thousand] horsemen [cavalry soldiers, warriors], and countless [without number, innumerable] troops who came with him out of Egypt [from the land of the Nile, out of the Egyptian empire]—Libyans [Lubims, people from interior Africa], Sukkites [Sukkiim, warriors from near Egypt], and Cushites [Ethiopians, descendants of Cush]. word study 4 He captured [seized, took control of] the fortified [strong, walled] cities [towns, settlements] of Judah [the tribe, the region] and came [approached, entered] as far as [until, up to] Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital]. word study 5 Then Shemaiah [heard by God] the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders [rulers, princes] of Judah who had gathered [assembled, come together] at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] says: ‘You have forsaken [abandoned, loosened] Me; therefore, I have forsaken [abandoned, relinquished] you into the hand [power, direction] of Shishak [the Egyptian king].’” word study 6 So the leaders [rulers, princes] of Israel [Jacob’s descendants] and the king [royal person] humbled [bent their knees, submitted] themselves and said, “The LORD [Yehovah, God] is righteous [just, upright, having God’s nature].” word study 7 When the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] saw [looked after, provided for] that they had humbled [bent their knee, submitted] themselves, the word [message, thing] of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled [made themselves low] themselves; I will not [absence of, negation] destroy [ruin, corrupt] them, but will soon [in a short time, quickly] grant [give, put] them deliverance [survival, escape]. My wrath [intense anger, rage] will not [absence of, negation] be poured out [flow forth, overflow] on Jerusalem [the city of peace] through [by the hand of] Shishak [the Egyptian king]. word study 8 Nevertheless, they will become his servants [to serve and obey], so that they may learn [know and understand] the difference between serving Me [with reverence and worship] and serving the kings [rulers and authorities] of other lands [countries and nations].” word study 9 So King [ruler, monarch] Shishak of Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa] attacked [came up against, invaded] Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Palestine] and seized [took away, carried off] the treasures [riches, wealth] of the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] and of the royal [king’s, sovereign] palace [residence, dwelling]. He took [carried away, removed] everything [all, the whole], including [among them, as well as] the gold [valuable, precious] shields [protective armor, defense] that Solomon [a king of Israel] had made [created, fashioned]. word study 10 Then King [ruler, monarch] Rehoboam made [to create, fashion] bronze [of copper, base metal] shields [protective devices] in their place [underneath, instead of] and committed [to entrust, assign] them to the care [charge, responsibility] of the captains [rulers, leaders] of the guard [watchmen, protectors] on duty [stationed, serving] at the entrance [doorway, gate] to the royal [king’s, sovereign’s] palace [house, dwelling place]. word study 11 And whenever the king [the monarch, ruler] entered [came into, approached] the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], the guards [armed men, runners] would go with him, bearing [carrying, lifting] the shields [body-covers, protective devices], and later [afterwards, subsequently] they would return [bring back, restore] them to the guardroom [chamber, armoury]. word study 12 Because Rehoboam [made himself low] humbled himself, the anger [wrath] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] turned away [returned, turned back] from him, and He did not [completely, altogether] destroy him completely [to ruin, consume]. Indeed, conditions [things, good things, pleasant things] were good [pleasant, beneficial, pleasing] in Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the region]. word study 13 Thus King Rehoboam established himself [strengthened himself, established his rule] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, God’s chosen city]. He was forty-one [one and forty, a mature age] years old when he became king [began to reign, started his rule], and he reigned [ruled, exercised authority] seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] had chosen [selected, appointed] from all the tribes of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s people] in which to put His Name [His presence, His reputation]. His mother’s name was Naamah [a woman of beauty, an Ammonite] the Ammonite [a descendant of Lot, a foreigner]. word study 14 And Rehoboam did [that which was] evil [morally wrong, bad] because he did not set [establish, prepare] his heart [inner being, will] to seek [search for, inquire of] the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God]. word study 15 Now the acts [chronicles, historical records] of Rehoboam [the king of Judah, son of Solomon], from first [the beginning, initial] to last [the end, final], are they not written [recorded, inscribed] in the records [book, scroll] of Shemaiah [heard by God] the Prophet [spokesperson for God] and of Iddo [one who receives visions] the Seer [one who sees, perceives] concerning [regarding, about] the genealogies [family histories, lineages]? There was war [battle, conflict] between Rehoboam and Jeroboam [the king of Israel, the people will contend] throughout [all, during] their days [time, lifetime]. word study 16 And Rehoboam [slept with his fathers, died] rested with his fathers [his ancestors, those who came before him] and was buried [laid to rest, interred] in the City [town, metropolis] of David [the king]. And his son [descendant, heir] Abijah [the father is the Lord, my father is Yahweh] reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position]. word study