13
1 In
the eighteenth
year of King
Jeroboam, Abijah began
to reign over
Judah.
2 He
reigned three
years in Jerusalem.
His mother’s name
was Micaiah the
daughter of Uriel
of Gibeah. There
was war
between Abijah and
Jeroboam.
3 Abijah joined
battle with an
army of valiant
men of war, even
four hundred thousand chosen men;
and Jeroboam set
the battle in
array against him
with eight
hundred thousand chosen men,
who were mighty
men of valor.
4 Abijah stood
up on Mount
Zemaraim, which is
in the hill
country of Ephraim,
and said, “Hear
me, Jeroboam and
all Israel:
5 Ought you
not to know
that the LORD,
the God of
Israel, gave the
kingdom over
Israel to David
forever, even to
him and to
his sons by
a covenant of
salt?
6 Yet
Jeroboam the son
of Nebat, the
servant of Solomon
the son of
David, rose up,
and rebelled
against his lord.
7 Worthless
men were gathered
to him, wicked
fellows who
strengthened themselves
against Rehoboam
the son of
Solomon, when
Rehoboam was young
and tender hearted,
and could not
withstand them.
8 “Now
you intend to
withstand the
kingdom of the
LORD in the
hand of the
sons of David.
You are a
great multitude,
and the golden
calves which
Jeroboam made you
for gods are with
you.
9 Haven’t you
driven out the
priests of the
LORD, the sons
of Aaron, and the
Levites, and made
priests for
yourselves according
to the ways of
the peoples of
other lands? Whoever
comes to
consecrate himself
with a young
bull and seven rams
may be a
priest of those
who are no gods.
10 “But
as for us,
the LORD is
our God, and
we have not
forsaken him. We
have priests
serving the LORD,
the sons of Aaron,
and the Levites
in their work.
11 They
burn to the
LORD every morning
and every evening
burnt offerings
and sweet incense.
They also set
the show bread
in order on the
pure table, and
care for the
gold lamp stand
with its lamps,
to burn every
evening; for we
keep the instruction
of the LORD
our God, but
you have forsaken
him.
12 Behold,
God is with
us at our
head, and his
priests with the
trumpets of alarm
to sound an
alarm against you.
Children of Israel,
don’t fight against
the LORD, the
God of
your fathers; for
you will not
prosper.”
13 But
Jeroboam caused an
ambush to come
about behind them;
so they were
before Judah, and
the ambush
was behind them.
14 When
Judah looked back,
behold, the battle
was before
and behind them;
and they cried
to the LORD,
and the priests
sounded with the
trumpets.
15 Then
the men of
Judah gave a
shout. As the
men of Judah
shouted, God struck
Jeroboam and all
Israel before Abijah
and Judah.
16 The
children of Israel
fled before Judah,
and God delivered
them into their
hand.
17 Abijah and
his people killed
them with a
great slaughter, so
five hundred thousand chosen
men of Israel
fell down slain.
18 Thus the
children of Israel
were brought under
at that time,
and the children
of Judah prevailed,
because they
relied on the
LORD, the God
of their fathers.
19 Abijah
pursued Jeroboam,
and took cities
from him: Bethel
with its villages,
Jeshanah with its
villages, and
Ephron with its
villages.
20 Jeroboam didn’t recover
strength again in
the days of Abijah.
The LORD struck
him, and he
died.
21 But Abijah
grew mighty and
took for himself
fourteen wives, and
became the father
of twenty-two sons
and sixteen
daughters.
22 The
rest of the
acts of Abijah,
his ways, and
his sayings are
written in
the commentary of
the prophet Iddo.