Chapter 12

1Now it came to pass when Rehoboam's kingdom was established and when he became strong, he abandoned the Law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.   אוַיְהִ֗י כְּהָכִ֞ין מַלְכ֚וּת רְחַבְעָם֙ וּכְחֶזְקָת֔וֹ עָזַ֖ב אֶת־תּוֹרַ֣ת יְהֹוָ֑ה וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עִמּֽוֹ:
2And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak the king of Egypt marched against Jerusalem, for they had betrayed the Lord.   בוַיְהִ֞י בַּשָּׁנָ֚ה הַֽחֲמִישִׁית֙ לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֔ם עָלָ֛ה שִׁישַׁ֥ק מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֖יִם עַל־יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם כִּ֥י מָֽעֲל֖וּ בַּֽיהֹוָֽה:
3With a thousand and two hundred chariots and with sixty thousand horsemen, and there was no number to the people who came with him from Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Cushites.   גבְּאֶ֚לֶף וּמָאתַ֙יִם֙ רֶ֔כֶב וּבְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף פָּֽרָשִׁ֑ים וְאֵ֣ין מִסְפָּ֗ר לָעָ֞ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֚אוּ עִמּוֹ֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לוּבִ֥ים סֻכִּיִּ֖ים וְכוּשִֽׁים:
4And he seized Judah's fortified cities, and he came until Jerusalem.   דוַיִּלְכֹּ֛ד אֶת־עָרֵ֥י הַמְּצֻר֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר לִֽיהוּדָ֑ה וַיָּבֹ֖א עַד־יְרֽוּשָׁלִָֽם:
5And Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, "So said the Lord: You have forsaken Me; so I too have forsaken you in the hand of Shishak."   הוּשְׁמַעְיָ֚ה הַנָּבִיא֙ בָּ֣א אֶל־רְחַבְעָ֔ם וְשָׂרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נֶֽאֶסְפ֥וּ אֶל־יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם מִפְּנֵ֣י שִׁישָׁ֑ק וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֗ה אַתֶּם֙ עֲזַבְתֶּ֣ם אֹתִ֔י וְאַף־אֲנִ֛י עָזַ֥בְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּיַד־שִׁישָֽׁק:
6And the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves, and they said, "The Lord is just."   ווַיִּכָּֽנְע֥וּ שָׂרֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְהַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיֹּֽאמְר֖וּ צַדִּ֥יק| יְהֹוָֽה:
7And when the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, "They have humbled themselves; I shall not destroy them, but I shall grant them some measure of deliverance, and My wrath will not be poured out in Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.   זוּבִרְא֚וֹת יְהֹוָה֙ כִּ֣י נִכְנָ֔עוּ הָיָה֩ דְבַר־יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־שְׁמַעְיָ֧ה| לֵאמֹ֛ר נִכְנְע֖וּ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִיתֵ֑ם וְנָתַתִּ֨י לָהֶ֚ם כִּמְעָט֙ לִפְלֵיטָ֔ה וְלֹֽא־תִתַּ֧ךְ חֲמָתִ֛י בִּירֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בְּיַד־שִׁישָֽׁק:
They have humbled themselves; I shall not destroy them. A similar instance is found below (14:6): “The land is still before us for we have sought, etc. we have sought.” So is the custom of the Scriptures, that when it interrupts in the middle, it repeats the word. An example is (Num. 10:32): "And it will be, if you go with us, it will be that the good, etc.   נכנעו לא אשחיתם.  דוגמא למטה (יד) עודנו הארץ לפנינו כי דרשנו ה' אלהינו דרשנו וגו', כן דרך הפסוק כשמפסיק בנתים כופל עוד התיב' לאומרה דוגמא (מדבר י') והיה כי תלך עמנו והיה הטוב וגו':
8For they will be his slaves, and they will know My service and the service of the kingdoms of the lands.   חכִּ֥י יִֽהְיוּ־ל֖וֹ לַֽעֲבָדִ֑ים וְיֵדְעוּ֙ עֲב֣וֹדָתִ֔י וַֽעֲבוֹדַ֖ת מַמְלְכ֥וֹת הָֽאֲרָצֽוֹת:
For they will be his slaves. [i.e., slaves] of Shishak and the other nations, as is explained.   כי יהיו לו לעבדים.  לשישק ולשאר עובדי כוכבים כמפורש:
and they will know My service. When they repent, no ruler of the kings of the nations will be over them, but when you abandon My Law, you will experience servitude to the kings of the lands, and you will serve them.   וידעו עבודתי.  כשישובו לא יהיה עליהם שום מושל ממלכי עובדי כוכבי' אבל כשתשובו מאחרי תורתי תדעו עבודת מלכי הארצות ותעבדו לה':
9And Shishak, the king of Egypt, marched against Jerusalem, and he took the treasures of the House of the Lord and the treasures of the king's palace; everything he took, and he took the golden shields that Solomon had made.   טוַיַּ֨עַל שִׁישַׁ֥ק מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם֘ עַל־יְרֽוּשָׁלִַם֒ וַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־אֹֽצְר֣וֹת בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֗ה וְאֶת־אֹֽצְרוֹת֙ בֵּ֣ית הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ אֶת־הַכֹּ֖ל לָקָ֑ח וַיִּקַּח֙ אֶת־מָֽגִנֵּ֣י הַזָּהָ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה שְׁלֹמֹֽה:
10And King Rehoboam made instead of them copper shields, and he entrusted them in the hands of the chiefs of the runners, who guarded the entrance of the king's palace.   יוַיַּ֨עַשׂ הַמֶּ֚לֶךְ רְחַבְעָם֙ תַּחְתֵּיהֶ֔ם מָֽגִנֵּ֖י נְחֹ֑שֶׁת וְהִפְקִ֗יד עַל־יַד֙ שָׂרֵ֣י הָֽרָצִ֔ים הַשֹּׁ֣מְרִ֔ים פֶּ֖תַח בֵּ֥ית הַמֶּֽלֶךְ:
and he entrusted them in the hands of the chiefs of the runners. He took them from the house of the forest of Lebanon and entrusted them to the chiefs of the runners and afterwards they returned them.   והפקיד על יד שרי הרצים.  לקח המגינים מבית יער הלבנון והפקידם לשרי הרצים ואח"כ השיבם :
11And it came to pass that whenever the king came to the House of the Lord, the runners came and carried them and returned them to the chamber of the runners.   יאוַיְהִ֛י מִדֵּי־ב֥וֹא הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ בֵּ֣ית יְהֹוָ֑ה בָּ֚אוּ הָֽרָצִים֙ וּנְשָׂא֔וּם וֶֽהֱשִׁב֖וּם אֶל־תָּ֥א הָֽרָצִֽים:
to the chamber of the runners. The room of the runners, i.e., to their place. Another explanation I heard from my mentor is that because he was afraid of the king of Egypt and the king of Israel, they would carry them [the shields] before him.   אל תא הרצים.  חדר הרצים, כלומר אל מקומם, ענין אחר מפי מורי לפי שהיה דואג ממלך מצרים וממלך ישראל היו נושאין אותן לפניו:
12And when he humbled himself, the Lord's wrath returned from him, and [He did] not [say] to destroy [him] completely, and also in Judah were good things.   יבוּבְהִכָּֽנְע֗וֹ שָׁ֚ב מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ אַף־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א לְהַשְׁחִ֖ית לְכָלָ֑ה וְגַם֙ בִּֽיהוּדָ֔ה הָיָ֖ה דְּבָרִ֥ים טוֹבִֽים:
And when he humbled himself, the Lord’s wrath returned from him. He should have stated this above immediately when he said, “And Shishak… marched,” but he interrupted in between because he had to mention, “And… made instead of them shields of copper.”   ובהכנעו שב ממנו חרון אף ה'.  היה לו לומר למעלה מיד כשאמר ויעל שישק וגומר אלא שהפסיק בנתים לצורך ויעש תחתיהם מגיני נחשת:
13And King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned, for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and seventeen years he reigned in Jerusalem-the city that the Lord had chosen wherein to place His name, out of all the tribes of Israel; and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.   יגוַיִּתְחַזֵּ֞ק הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֛ם בִּירֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם וַיִּמְלֹ֑ךְ כִּ֣י בֶן־אַרְבָּעִ֣ים וְאַחַ֣ת שָׁנָה֩ רְחַבְעָ֨ם בְּמָלְכ֜וֹ וּֽשֲׁבַ֨ע עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה שָׁנָ֣ה| מָלַ֣ךְ בִּירֽוּשָׁלִַ֗ם הָ֠עִיר אֲשֶׁר־בָּחַ֨ר יְהֹוָ֜ה לָשׂ֨וּם אֶת־שְׁמ֥וֹ שָׁם֙ מִכֹּל֙ שִׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְשֵׁ֣ם אִמּ֔וֹ נַֽעֲמָ֖ה הָֽעַמֹּנִֽית:
And King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem. And he explains why, because when he was first made king, he was forty-one years old; therefore, he had the strength and the power to strengthen himself. He was a year old when David died, for Solomon reigned forty years, and Solomon had not yet reigned when Rehoboam was born. We find that Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he reigned.   ויתחזק המלך רחבעם.  ומפרש למה שהרי כשהומלך תחילה היה בן מ"א לפיכך היה בו כח וחוזק להתחזק מעצמו כי היה בן שנה כשמת דוד שהרי שלמה מלך מ' שנה ושלמה עדיין לא מלך כשנולד רחבעם נמצא שרחבעם היה בן מ"א כשמלך:
the city that the Lord had chosen wherein to place His name, out of all the tribes of Israel. but they deteriorated in their deeds, as it is written: “And he did that which was evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord,” and they caused the Shechinah to leave them, and it was as if they were complaining and demonstrating about that.   העיר אשר בחר ה' לשום את שמו שם מכל שבטי ישראל.  אלא שנתקלקלו במעשיהם כדכתיב ויעש הרע כי לא הכין לבו לדרוש את ה' וגרמו שנסתלקה שכינה מהם וכאלו קובל ומפיגין על כך:
14And he did that which was evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.   ידוַיַּ֖עַשׂ הָרָ֑ע כִּ֣י לֹ֚א הֵכִין֙ לִבּ֔וֹ לִדְר֖וֹשׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה:
15And the deeds of Rehoboam, the first and the last, are they not written in the words of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer in the manner of genealogy, and the wars of Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the times.   טווְדִבְרֵ֣י רְחַבְעָ֗ם הָרִֽאשֹׁנִים֙ וְהָאַ֣חֲרוֹנִ֔ים הֲלֹא־הֵ֨ם כְּתוּבִ֜ים בְּדִבְרֵ֨י שְׁמַעְיָ֧ה הַנָּבִ֛יא וְעִדּ֥וֹ הַֽחֹזֶ֖ה לְהִתְיַחֵ֑שׂ וּמִלְחֲמ֧וֹת רְחַבְעָ֛ם וְיָֽרָבְעָ֖ם כָּל־הַיָּמִֽים:
in the words of Shemaiah the prophet. Every prophet would write his book, containing that which he prophesied, and this is the Shemaiah who was mentioned above (11:2, 12:5). And the verse written further (13:22), “And the rest of the deeds of Abijah and his ways and his words are written in the midrash of the prophet Iddo,” proves this, [that each prophet wrote a book of his prophecies, and] his [Iddo’s] book was called midrash.   בדברי שמעיה הנביא.  כל נביא ונביא היה כותב ספרו מה שהיה מתנבא וזהו שמעיה שאמר לעיל (ב' י"א) ולקמן (י"ב) מוכיח ויתר דברי אביה ודרכיו ודבריו כתובין במדרש הנביא עדו ספרו היה נקרא מדרש:
16And Rehoboam slept with his forefathers, and he was buried in the City of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.   טזוַיִּשְׁכַּ֚ב רְחַבְעָם֙ עִם־אֲבֹתָ֔יו וַיִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּעִ֣יר דָּוִ֑יד וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ אֲבִיָּ֥ה בְנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו: