12:21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin 4 to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 12:22 But God told Shemaiah the prophet, 5 12:23 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the rest of the people, 12:24 ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’” 6 They obeyed the Lord and went home as the Lord had ordered them to do. 7
1 tc Verse 2 is not included in the Old Greek translation. See the note on 11:43.
2 tn Heb “and Jeroboam lived in Egypt.” The parallel text in 2 Chr 10:2 reads, “and Jeroboam returned from Egypt.” In a purely consonantal text the forms “and he lived” and “and he returned” are identical (וישׁב).
3 tn Heb “there was no one [following] after the house of David except the tribe of Judah, it alone.”
4 tn Heb “he summoned all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, accomplished in war.”
5 tn Heb “and the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying.”
6 tn Heb “for this thing is from me.”
7 tn Heb “and they heard the word of the