TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

II - Chapter 12

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1When the kingship of Rechovam was firmly established, and he grew strong, he abandoned the Teaching of Hashem, he and all Yisrael with him.

אוַיְהִי כְּהָכִין מַלְכוּת רְחַבְעָם וּכְחֶזְקָתוֹ עָזַב אֶת־תּוֹרַת יְהֹוָה וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל עִמּוֹ׃

2In the fifth year of King Rechovam, King Shishak of Egypt marched against Yerushalayim—for they had trespassed against Hashem—

בוַיְהִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַחֲמִישִׁית לַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם עָלָה שִׁישַׁק מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם כִּי מָעֲלוּ בַּיהֹוָה׃

3with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen and innumerable troops who came with him from Egypt: Lybians, Sukkites, and Kushites.

גבְּאֶלֶף וּמָאתַיִם רֶכֶב וּבְשִׁשִּׁים אֶלֶף פָּרָשִׁים וְאֵין מִסְפָּר לָעָם אֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ עִמּוֹ מִמִּצְרַיִם לוּבִים סֻכִּיִּים וְכוּשִׁים׃

4He took the fortified towns of Yehuda and advanced on Yerushalayim.

דוַיִּלְכֹּד אֶת־עָרֵי הַמְּצֻרוֹת אֲשֶׁר לִיהוּדָה וַיָּבֹא עַד־יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם׃

5The Navi Shemaya came to Rechovam and the officers of Yehuda, who had assembled in Yerushalayim because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus said Hashem: You have abandoned Me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak.”

הוּשְׁמַעְיָה הַנָּבִיא בָּא אֶל־רְחַבְעָם וְשָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה אַתֶּם עֲזַבְתֶּם אֹתִי וְאַף־אֲנִי עָזַבְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּיַד־שִׁישָׁק׃

6Then the officers of Yisrael and the king humbled themselves and declared, “Hashem is in the right.”

ווַיִּכָּנְעוּ שָׂרֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמְרוּ צַדִּיק יְהֹוָה׃

7When Hashem saw that they had submitted, the word of Hashem came to Shemaya, saying, “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will grant them some measure of deliverance, and My wrath will not be poured out on Yerushalayim through Shishak.

זוּבִרְאוֹת יְהֹוָה כִּי נִכְנָעוּ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־שְׁמַעְיָה לֵאמֹר נִכְנְעוּ לֹא אַשְׁחִיתֵם וְנָתַתִּי לָהֶם כִּמְעַט לִפְלֵיטָה וְלֹא־תִתַּךְ חֲמָתִי בִּירוּשָׁלַ ִם בְּיַד־שִׁישָׁק׃

8They will be subject to him, and they will know the difference between serving Me and serving the kingdoms of the earth.” King Shishak of Egypt marched against Yerushalayim.

חכִּי יִהְיוּ־לוֹ לַעֲבָדִים וְיֵדְעוּ עֲבוֹדָתִי וַעֲבוֹדַת מַמְלְכוֹת הָאֲרָצוֹת׃

9He took away the treasures of the House of Hashem and the treasures of the royal palace; he took away everything; he took away the golden shields that Shlomo had made.

טוַיַּעַל שִׁישַׁק מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם עַל־יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם וַיִּקַּח אֶת־אֹצְרוֹת בֵּית־יְהֹוָה וְאֶת־אֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־הַכֹּל לָקָח וַיִּקַּח אֶת־מָגִנֵּי הַזָּהָב אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה שְׁלֹמֹה׃

10King Rechovam had bronze shields made in their place, and entrusted them to the officers of the guard who guarded the entrance to the royal palace.

יוַיַּעַשׂ הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם תַּחְתֵּיהֶם מָגִנֵּי נְחֹשֶׁת וְהִפְקִיד עַל־יַד שָׂרֵי הָרָצִים הַשֹּׁמְרִים פֶּתַח בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ׃

11Whenever the king entered the House of Hashem, the guards would carry them and then bring them back to the armory of the guards.

יאוַיְהִי מִדֵּי־בוֹא הַמֶּלֶךְ בֵּית יְהֹוָה בָּאוּ הָרָצִים וּנְשָׂאוּם וֶהֱשִׁבוּם אֶל־תָּא הָרָצִים׃

12After he had humbled himself, the anger of Hashem was averted and He did not destroy him entirely; in Yehuda, too, good things were found.

יבוּבְהִכָּנְעוֹ שָׁב מִמֶּנּוּ אַף־יְהֹוָה וְלֹא לְהַשְׁחִית לְכָלָה וְגַם בִּיהוּדָה הָיָה דְּבָרִים טוֹבִים׃

13King Rechovam grew strong in Yerushalayim and exercised kingship. Rechovam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Yerushalayim—the city Hashem had chosen out of all the tribes of Yisrael to establish His name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.

va-yit-kha-ZAYK ha-ME-lekh r'-khav-AM bee-ru-sha-LA-im va-yim-LOKH KEE ven ar-ba-EEM v'-a-KHAT sha-NAH r'-khav-AM b'-mol-KHO ush-VA es-RAY sha-NAH ma-LAKH bee-ru-sha-LA-im ha-EER a-sher ba-KHAR a-do-NAI la-SUM et sh'-MO SHAM mi-KOL shiv-TAY yis-ra-AYL v'-SHAYM i-MO na-a-MAH ha-a-mo-NEET

יגוַיִּתְחַזֵּק הַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם בִּירוּשָׁלַ ִם וַיִּמְלֹךְ כִּי בֶן־אַרְבָּעִים וְאַחַת שָׁנָה רְחַבְעָם בְּמָלְכוֹ וּשֲׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלַ ִם הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר־בָּחַר יְהֹוָה לָשׂוּם אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שָׁם מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ נַעֲמָה הָעַמֹּנִית׃

 12:13   To establish His name there

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (b. 1949)

At an event celebrating Jerusalem Day in 2012, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated: “Our generation had a great privilege – we saw the words of the prophets come true. We saw the rise of Zion, the return of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, the ingathering of exiles and our return to Jerusalem. We will make sure Jeru­salem’s golden light will shine on our people, and spread the light of Jerusalem to the whole world. We will protect Jerusalem, because Israel without Jerusalem is like a body without a heart.” Yerushalayim is central to Israel, to Judaism and to the entire world, and this is not because any individual declared it special. It is so significant and beloved to man because, as this verse states, it is the place chosen by God “to establish His name there.”

14He did what was wrong, for he had not set his heart to seek Hashem.

ידוַיַּעַשׂ הָרָע כִּי לֹא הֵכִין לִבּוֹ לִדְרוֹשׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָה׃

15The deeds of Rechovam, early and late, are recorded in the chronicles of the Navi Shemaya and Ido the seer, in the manner of genealogy. There was continuous war between Rechovam and Yerovam.

טווְדִבְרֵי רְחַבְעָם הָרִאשֹׁנִים וְהָאֲחַרוֹנִים הֲלֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים בְּדִבְרֵי שְׁמַעְיָה הַנָּבִיא וְעִדּוֹ הַחֹזֶה לְהִתְיַחֵשׂ וּמִלְחֲמוֹת רְחַבְעָם וְיָרָבְעָם כָּל־הַיָּמִים׃

16Rechovam slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. His son Aviya succeeded him as king.

טזוַיִּשְׁכַּב רְחַבְעָם עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקָּבֵר בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֲבִיָּה בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃