wicked trick to weaken that his opinion; and by using plausible words
concerning what had happened, he aimed to injure the truth that was in
them; for he attempted to persuade him that his hand was enfeebled by
the labor it had undergone in supporting the sacrifices, and that upon
its resting awhile it returned to its former nature again; and that as
to the altar, it was but new, and had borne abundance of sacrifices, and
those large ones too, and was accordingly broken to pieces, and fallen
down by the weight of what had been laid upon it. He also informed him
of the death of him that had foretold those things, and how he perished;
[whence he concluded that] he had not any thing in him of a prophet,
nor spake any thing like one. When he had thus spoken, he persuaded the
king, and entirely alienated his mind from God, and from doing works
that were righteous and holy, and encouraged him to go on in his impious
practices [25] and accordingly he was to that degree injurious to God,
and so great a transgressor, that he sought for nothing else every day
but how he might be guilty of some new instances of wickedness, and such
as should be more detestable than what he had been so insolent as to
do before. And so much shall at present suffice to have said concerning
Jeroboam.

CHAPTER 10. Concerning Rehoboam, And How God Inflicted Punishment Upon
Him For His Impiety By Shishak [King Of Egypt].

1. Now Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, who, as we said before, was king of
the two tribes, built strong and large cities, Bethlehem, and Etare, and
Tekoa, and Bethzur, and Shoco, and Adullam, and Ipan, and Maresha, and
Ziph, and Adorlam, and Lachlsh, and Azekah, and Zorah, and Aijalon, and
Hebron; these he built first of all in the tribe of Judah. He also built
other large cities in the tribe of Benjamin, and walled them about, and
put garrisons in them all, and captains, and a great deal of corn, and
wine, and oil, and he furnished every one of them plentifully with other
provisions that were necessary for sustenance; moreover, he put therein
shields and spears for many ten thousand men. The priests also that were
in all Israel, and the Levites, and if there were any of the multitude
that were good and righteous men, they gathered themselves together
to him, having left their own cities, that they might worship God in
Jerusalem; for they were not willing to be forced to worship the heifers
which Jeroboam had made; and they augme