¹¹ He strengthened their fortifications and put leaders in them with supplies of food, oil, and wine. ¹² He also put large shields and spears in each and every city to make them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.

¹³ The priests and Levites from all their regions throughout Israel took their stand with Rehoboam, ¹⁴ for the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions^(A) and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons refused to let them serve as priests of Yahweh.^{(B) 15} Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places,^(C) the goat-demons,^(D) and the golden calves he had made.^{(E) 16} Those from every tribe of Israel who had determined in their hearts to seek Yahweh their God followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁷ So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years,^(F) because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.