2 Chronicles 12 (Divrei HaYamim Bet) in Hebrew and English
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Text (469) 608-99442 Chronicles, Chapter 12
When Rechav’am forsakes the Torah of Hashem, Shishak king of Mitzrayim comes up against Yerushalayim; at Shema’yah’s word the king and the princes humble themselves and are not destroyed, but Shishak takes the treasures and the shields of gold, and Rechav’am reigns seventeen years, dies, and Aviyah reigns.
12:1And it came to pass, when Rechav’am (Rehoboam) had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the Torah of Hashem, and all Israel with him.
אוַיְהִ֗י כְּהָכִ֞ין מַלְכ֤וּת רְחַבְעָם֙ וּכְחֶזְקָת֔וֹ עָזַ֖ב אֶת־תּוֹרַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עִמּֽוֹ׃
12:2And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rechav’am Shishak king of Mitzrayim (Egypt) came up against Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), because they had transgressed against Hashem,
בוַיְהִ֞י בַּשָּׁנָ֤ה הַֽחֲמִישִׁית֙ לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֔ם עָלָ֛ה שִׁישַׁ֥ק מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֖יִם עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם כִּ֥י מָעֲל֖וּ בַּיהוָֽה׃
12:3With twelve hundred chariots, and sixty thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Mitzrayim; the Luvim (Lubim), the Sukiyim (Sukkiims), and the Kushim (Ethiopians).
גבְּאֶ֤לֶף וּמָאתַ֨יִם֙ רֶ֔כֶב וּבְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף פָּרָשִׁ֑ים וְאֵ֣ין מִסְפָּ֗ר לָעָ֞ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֤אוּ עִמּוֹ֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם לוּבִ֥ים סֻכִּיִּ֖ים וְכוּשִֽׁים׃
12:4And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Yehudah (Judah), and came to Yerushalayim.
דוַיִּלְכֹּ֛ד אֶת־עָרֵ֥י הַמְּצֻר֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר לִֽיהוּדָ֑ה וַיָּבֹ֖א עַד־יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
12:5Then came Shema’yah (Shemaiah) the prophet to Rechav’am, and to the princes of Yehudah, that were gathered together to Yerushalayim because of Shishak, and said unto them, “Thus says Hashem, ‘You have forsaken Me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.’”
הוּֽשְׁמַֽעְיָ֤ה הַנָּבִיא֙ בָּ֣א אֶל־רְחַבְעָ֔ם וְשָׂרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפ֥וּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם מִפְּנֵ֣י שִׁישָׁ֑ק וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה אַתֶּם֙ עֲזַבְתֶּ֣ם אֹתִ֔י וְאַף־אֲנִ֛י עָזַ֥בְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּיַד־שִׁישָֽׁק׃
12:6Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “Hashem is righteous.”
ווַיִּכָּנְע֥וּ שָׂרֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְהַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ צַדִּ֥יק ׀ יְהוָֽה׃
12:7And when Hashem saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Hashem came to Shema’yah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and My wrath shall not be poured out upon Yerushalayim by the hand of Shishak.
זוּבִרְא֤וֹת יְהוָה֙ כִּ֣י נִכְנָ֔עוּ הָיָה֩ דְבַר־יְהוָ֨ה אֶל־שְׁמַֽעְיָ֧ה ׀ לֵאמֹ֛ר נִכְנְע֖וּ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִיתֵ֑ם וְנָתַתִּ֨י לָהֶ֤ם כִּמְעַט֙ לִפְלֵיטָ֔ה וְלֹא־תִתַּ֧ךְ חֲמָתִ֛י בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בְּיַד־שִׁישָֽׁק׃
12:8Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know My service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.”
חכִּ֥י יִהְיוּ־ל֖וֹ לַעֲבָדִ֑ים וְיֵדְעוּ֙ עֲב֣וֹדָתִ֔י וַעֲבוֹדַ֖ת מַמְלְכ֥וֹת הָאֲרָצֽוֹת׃
12:9So Shishak king of Mitzrayim came up against Yerushalayim, and took away the treasures of the house of Hashem, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Shlomo (Solomon) had made.
טוַיַּ֨עַל שִׁישַׁ֥ק מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם֮ עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם֒ וַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־אֹצְר֣וֹת בֵּית־יְהוָ֗ה וְאֶת־אֹֽצְרוֹת֙ בֵּ֣ית הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ אֶת־הַכֹּ֖ל לָקָ֑ח וַיִּקַּח֙ אֶת־מָגִנֵּ֣י הַזָּהָ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃
12:10Instead of which king Rechav’am made shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king’s house.
יוַיַּ֨עַשׂ הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ רְחַבְעָם֙ תַּחְתֵּיהֶ֔ם מָגִנֵּ֖י נְחֹ֑שֶׁת וְהִפְקִ֗יד עַל־יַד֙ שָׂרֵ֣י הָרָצִ֔ים הַשֹּׁ֣מְרִ֔ים פֶּ֖תַח בֵּ֥ית הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
12:11And when the king entered into the house of Hashem, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber.
יאוַיְהִ֛י מִדֵּי־ב֥וֹא הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ בֵּ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה בָּ֤אוּ הָרָצִים֙ וּנְשָׂא֔וּם וֶהֱשִׁב֖וּם אֶל־תָּ֥א הָרָצִֽים׃
12:12And when he humbled himself, the wrath of Hashem turned from him that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Yehudah things went well.
יבוּבְהִכָּֽנְע֗וֹ שָׁ֤ב מִמֶּ֨נּוּ֙ אַף־יְהוָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א לְהַשְׁחִ֖ית לְכָלָ֑ה וְגַם֙ בִּֽיהוּדָ֔ה הָיָ֖ה דְּבָרִ֥ים טוֹבִֽים׃
12:13So king Rechav’am strengthened himself in Yerushalayim, and reigned: for Rechav’am was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Yerushalayim, the city which Hashem had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Na’amah an Ammonit (Ammonitess).
יגוַיִּתְחַזֵּ֞ק הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֛ם בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם וַיִּמְלֹ֑ךְ כִּ֣י בֶן־אַרְבָּעִ֣ים וְאַחַ֣ת שָׁנָה֩ רְחַבְעָ֨ם בְּמָלְכ֜וֹ וּֽשֲׁבַ֨ע עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה שָׁנָ֣ה ׀ מָלַ֣ךְ בִּֽירוּשָׁלִַ֗ם הָ֠עִיר אֲשֶׁר־בָּחַ֨ר יְהוָ֜ה לָשׂ֨וּם אֶת־שְׁמ֥וֹ שָׁם֙ מִכֹּל֙ שִׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְשֵׁ֣ם אִמּ֔וֹ נַעֲמָ֖ה הָֽעַמֹּנִֽית׃
12:14And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek Hashem.
ידוַיַּ֖עַשׂ הָרָ֑ע כִּ֣י לֹ֤א הֵכִין֙ לִבּ֔וֹ לִדְר֖וֹשׁ אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃
12:15Now the acts of Rechav’am, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shema’yah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rechav’am and Yarov’am (Jeroboam) continually.
טווְדִבְרֵ֣י רְחַבְעָ֗ם הָרִאשֹׁנִים֙ וְהָאֲ֣חַרוֹנִ֔ים הֲלֹא־הֵ֨ם כְּתוּבִ֜ים בְּדִבְרֵ֨י שְׁמַֽעְיָ֧ה הַנָּבִ֛יא וְעִדּ֥וֹ הַחֹזֶ֖ה לְהִתְיַחֵ֑שׂ וּמִלְחֲמ֧וֹת רְחַבְעָ֛ם וְיָרָבְעָ֖ם כָּל־הַיָּמִֽים׃
12:16And Rechav’am slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Aviyah (Abijah) his son reigned in his stead.
טזוַיִּשְׁכַּ֤ב רְחַבְעָם֙ עִם־אֲבֹתָ֔יו וַיִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּעִ֣יר דָּוִ֑יד וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ אֲבִיָּ֥ה בְנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃
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Sources & method
- Hebrew text
- The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. A paragraph mark (ס or פ) inside a verse is shown in small type.
- English translation
- The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yehudah (Judah)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem”; “God” (Elohim) is unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
- Verse numbers
- Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In 2 Chronicles they differ from most English Bibles in chapters 1, 2, 13 and 14; a note under the summary on those pages explains how.
- Commentary
- Our full 2 Chronicles commentary, written for our Wednesday Tenakh study from a Messianic Jewish perspective in line with the Benei Avraham Statement of Faith, is on its own page.
- Quiz
- Written by Benei Avraham for young readers (about 11 and up). Every answer is in the chapter on this page. Answers and scores are kept only in this browser (local storage) and can be cleared with Start over.
- Hebrew font
- SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.