📖 2 Chronicles — Chapter 12 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
2 Chronicles 12:1 And it came to pass, Rwhen Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.
2 Chronicles 12:2 And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam RShishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD,
2 Chronicles 12:3 With Rtwelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.
2 Chronicles 12:4 And he took Rthe fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 12:5 Then came RShemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.
2 Chronicles 12:6 Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king Rhumbled themselves; and they said, The LORD is righteous.
2 Chronicles 12:7 And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; Rtherefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them Tsome deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
2 Chronicles 12:8 RNevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.
2 Chronicles 12:9 So RShishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
2 Chronicles 12:10 Instead of which king Rehoboam made Rshields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king’s house.
2 Chronicles 12:11 And when the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber.
2 Chronicles 12:12 And Rwhen he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: Tand also in Judah things went well.
2 Chronicles 12:13 So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: Rfor Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess.
2 Chronicles 12:14 And he did evil, because Rhe Tprepared not his heart to seek the LORD.
2 Chronicles 12:15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, Rfirst and last, are they not written in the Tbook of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
2 Chronicles 12:16 And Rehoboam Rslept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and TAbijah his son reigned in his stead.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Chronicles 12:1–6 — Security followed by forsaking God
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
After establishing his kingdom, Rehoboam abandons the LORD's law, and the people follow. Shishak advances from Egypt and takes the defenses. Shemaiah explains the crisis, and the leaders humble themselves, acknowledging the LORD's righteousness. Their earlier strength did not protect them from the consequences of unfaithfulness.
Key Truth: Guard against forgetting God when you feel secure.
Check What You Remember
1. What did Rehoboam forsake after becoming strong? (2 Chronicles 12:1)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 12:1 (KJV).
2. Which king of Egypt attacked? (2 Chronicles 12:2)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 12:2 (KJV).
3. What did the humbled leaders say about the LORD? (2 Chronicles 12:6)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 12:6 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Chronicles 12:7–12 — Mercy amid loss
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
God sees their humility and does not allow complete destruction. Yet Shishak takes the treasures and gold shields, and Rehoboam replaces the shields with bronze. Mercy does not erase every consequence. The remaining losses teach the difference between serving God and being subjected to foreign kingdoms.
Key Truth: Receive mercy without denying the consequences of wrongdoing.
Check What You Remember
1. Why did God grant some deliverance? (2 Chronicles 12:7)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 12:7 (KJV).
2. What metal were Solomon's shields made of? (2 Chronicles 12:9)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 12:9 (KJV).
3. With what metal did Rehoboam replace them? (2 Chronicles 12:10)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 12:10 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Chronicles 12:13–16 — The final assessment
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Rehoboam reigns seventeen years, and the closing judgment says he did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD. The account names records of his acts and his successor. This verdict reaches deeper than political survival: the orientation of his heart matters in the assessment of his life.
Key Truth: Prepare your heart for steady seeking of the LORD.
Check What You Remember
1. How long did Rehoboam reign? (2 Chronicles 12:13)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 12:13 (KJV).
2. What had he failed to prepare his heart to do? (2 Chronicles 12:14)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 12:14 (KJV).
3. Who reigned after him? (2 Chronicles 12:16)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 12:16 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Deuteronomy 8:11 — Moses warns against forgetting the LORD and his commandments.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
What practice can help you seek God steadily when life becomes comfortable?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What contrast opens the account of Rehoboam’s fall?
2. How does Shemaiah’s message connect their choice with the consequence?
3. How is deliverance limited after the king and princes humble themselves?
4. What visible replacement marks the loss of Solomon’s wealth?
5. What inward failure explains Rehoboam’s evil in the closing assessment?
Notes
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