2 Chronicles 11:12-17

11:12 In each city there were shields and spears; he strongly fortified them. ¹  Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

11:13 The priests and Levites who lived throughout Israel supported him, no matter where they resided. ²  11:14 The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving as the Lord’s priests. 11:15 Jeroboam ³  appointed his own priests to serve at the worship centers ⁴  and to lead in the worship of the goat idols and calf idols he had made. ⁵  11:16 Those among all the Israelite tribes who were determined to worship the Lord God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem ⁶  to sacrifice to the Lord God of their ancestors. ⁷  11:17 They supported ⁸  the kingdom of Judah and were loyal to ⁹  Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years; they followed the edicts of ¹⁰  David and Solomon for three years.

[11:12]  ¹ tn Heb “he strengthened them greatly, very much.”

[11:13]  ² tn Heb “and the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel supported him from all their territory.”

[11:15]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “for the high places.”

[11:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “and for the goats and for the calves he had made.”

[11:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “and after them from all the tribes of Israel, the ones giving their heart[s] to seek the Lord God of Israel came [to] Jerusalem.”

[11:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “fathers.”

[11:17]  ⁸ tn Or “strengthened.”

[11:17]  ⁹ tn Or “strengthened.”

[11:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “they walked in the way of.”