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216 upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all away: he took away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made. And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, that kept the door of the king's house. And it was so, that as oft as the king entered into the house of the, the guard came and bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber. And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and moreover in Judah there were good things found. So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years

8. that they may know my service, etc.] i.e. that they may learn the difference between my service and other service.

9. he took all away] Shishak was bought off with a heavy present from attacking Jerusalem; cp. the case of Sennacherib (2 Kin. xviii. 13—16).

shields] Rather, targets, i.e. small shields; cp. note on ix. 15.

10. the guard] mg. (more literally) the runners. These derived their name from the duty of running before the king's chariot to clear the way for him; cp. 2 Sam. xv. 1; 1 Kin. i. 5.

12. in Judah were good things found] i.e. piety, cp. xix. 3. This is said as giving an additional reason for the mercy which God had showed (ver. 7). Doubtless it is also intended to emphasise the religious superiority of the South over the North; cp. the note on xi. 20.

13—16 (cp. 1 Kin. xiv. 21, 29—31).&emsp;

13. strengthened himself] See note on i. 1. The immediate reference is to a recovery of strength after the departure of Shishak; the further reference is to xi. 5.

forty and one years old and he reigned seventeen years] So read both the Heb. and LXX. here and in 1 Kin. xiv. 21, but in the additional passage which follows 1 Kin. xii. 24 in LXX. (B, not A) we read, sixteen