15. Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the pagan shrines, where they worshiped the goat and calf idols he had made.
16. From all the tribes of Israel, those who sincerely wanted to worship the lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem, where they could offer sacrifices to the lord, the God of their ancestors.
17. This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they supported Rehoboam son of Solomon, for during those years they faithfully followed in the footsteps of David and Solomon.
18. Rehoboam married his cousin Mahalath, the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Eliab son of Jesse.
19. Mahalath had three sons—Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20. Later Rehoboam married another cousin, Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom. Maacah gave birth to Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21. Rehoboam loved Maacah more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and they gave birth to twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.