Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak(A) of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem(B) with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 cavalrymen, and countless people who came with him from Egypt—Libyans,(C) Sukkiim, and Cushites. He captured the fortified cities(D) of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

Then the prophet Shemaiah(E) went to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them, “This is what the Lord says: You have abandoned me; therefore, I have abandoned you to Shishak.”(F)

So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is righteous.”(G)

When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the Lord’s message came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them but will grant them a little deliverance.(H) My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.(I) However, they will become his servants so that they may recognize the difference between serving me and serving the kingdoms of other lands.”(J)

So King Shishak of Egypt went to war(K) against Jerusalem.(L) He seized the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took the gold shields that Solomon had made.(M) 10 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and committed them into the care of the captains of the guards[a] who protected the entrance to the king’s palace. 11 Whenever the king entered the Lord’s temple, the guards would carry the shields and take them back to the armory.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 12:10 Lit the runners
  2. 12:11 Lit the chamber of the runners

Because they had been unfaithful(A) to the Lord, Shishak(B) king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans,(C) Sukkites and Cushites[a](D) that came with him from Egypt, he captured the fortified cities(E) of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

Then the prophet Shemaiah(F) came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon(G) you to Shishak.’”

The leaders of Israel and the king humbled(H) themselves and said, “The Lord is just.”(I)

When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance.(J) My wrath(K) will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will, however, become subject(L) to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.”

When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields(M) Solomon had made. 10 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. 11 Whenever the king went to the Lord’s temple, the guards went with him, bearing the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 12:3 That is, people from the upper Nile region