12 However, after Rehaveam (Rehoboam) had become established and in firm control of his kingdom, he and all the people abandoned Yahweh’s instructions. 2 Because they were unfaithful to Yahweh, King Shishak from Egypt (Heb. Mitsrayim) came to attack Yerushalem in the fifth year of Rehaveam’s reign 3 with 1,200 chariots and sixty thousand horsemen, along with a huge number of troops including Egyptians, Libyans, Sukkites, and Kushites. 4 He captured Yehudah’s fortified cities, then moved towards Yerushalem.

5 Then the prophet Shemayah and the leaders of Yehudah who had fled to Yerushalem because of Shishak’s attacks came to Rehaveam. Shemayah told them, “Yahweh says that it was all of you who abandoned me, so then I’ve also abandoned you all to be defeated by Shishak.”

6 Then the king and the Israeli leaders humbled themselves and said, “Yahweh always does what is right and fair.”

7 When Yahweh saw that they’d humbled themselves, he gave this message to Shemayah, “They’ve humbled themselves so I won’t destroy them—my rage won’t pour out on Yerushalem using Shishak’s attack, and I’ll give them a way to recover in the future. 8 Nevertheless, they’ll become his servants, and they’ll learn the difference between serving me versus serving the kings of other nations.

9 When Egypt’s King Shishak invaded Yerushalem, he took the treasures from Yahweh’s temple and the king’s palace. He took everything valuable, including the gold shields that Shelomoh had made.[ref] 10 King Rehaveam replaced them with bronze shields, and distributed them to the leaders of those who guarded the entrance to the king’s palace. 11 After that, whenever the king went to Yahweh’s temple, the guards went with him carrying those bronze shields. Then when the king left again, they’d return them to the guardroom. 12 Because Rehaveam humbled himself, Yahweh stopped being angry with him and didn’t eliminate him, so things were reasonably good in Yehudah.

13 King Rehaveam consolidated his rule in Yerushalem. He reigned for a total of forty-one years—seventeen of which were from Yerushalem city where Yahweh had chosen from all the tribes in Yisrael to establish his reputation. (Rehaveam’s mother was the Ammonitess, Naamah.) 14 Rehaveam did evil things because he didn’t make it his priority to get direction from Yahweh.

15 The account of everything that Rehaveam did while he was king, including genealogical records, was recorded in the scrolls written by the prophets Shemayah and Iddo. Rehaveam and Yaraveam were at war with each other for his entire reign. 16 Then Rehaveam died, he was buried with his ancestors in ‘The City of David’, and his son Aviyah replaced him as king.