2 Chronicles 13:6 | New International Reader’s Version

New International Reader’s Version

Abijah king of Judah

1 Abijah became king of Judah. It was in the 18th year of Jeroboam’s rule over Israel. 2 Abijah ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mother’s name was Maakah. She was a daughter of Uriel. Uriel was from Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah went into battle with an army of 400,000 capable fighting men. Jeroboam lined up his soldiers against them. He had 800,000 able troops. 4 Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim. It’s in the hill country of Ephraim. Abijah said, ‘Jeroboam and all you Israelites, listen to me! 5 The LORD is the God of Israel. Don’t you know that he has placed David and his sons after him on Israel’s throne for ever? The LORD made a covenant of salt with David. The salt means the covenant will last for all time to come. 6 Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, was an official of David’s son Solomon. But he refused to obey his master. 7 Some worthless and evil men gathered around him. They opposed Solomon’s son Rehoboam. At that time Rehoboam was young. He couldn’t make up his mind. He wasn’t strong enough to stand up against those men. 8 ‘Now you plan to stand up against the kingdom of the LORD. His kingdom is in the hands of men in David’s family line. It’s true that you have a huge army. You have the statues of the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9 But you drove out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron. You also drove out the Levites. You appointed your own priests. That’s what the people of other nations do. Anyone can come and set himself apart. All he has to do is sacrifice a young bull and seven rams. Then he becomes a priest of gods that aren’t really gods at all! 10 ‘But the LORD is our God. We haven’t deserted him. The priests who serve the LORD belong to the family line of Aaron. The Levites help them. 11 Every morning and evening the priests bring burnt offerings and sweet-smelling incense to the LORD. They set out the holy bread on the table. That table is “clean”. They light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We always do what the LORD our God requires in his law. But you have deserted him. 12 God is with us. He’s our leader. His priests will blow their trumpets. They will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, don’t fight against the LORD. He’s the God of your people who lived long ago. You can’t possibly succeed.’ 13 Jeroboam had sent some troops behind Judah’s battle lines. He told them to hide and wait there. He and his men stayed in front of Judah’s lines. 14 Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked from the front and from the back. Then they cried out to the LORD. The priests blew their trumpets. 15 The men of Judah shouted the battle cry. When they did, God drove Jeroboam and all the Israelites away from Abijah and Judah. 16 The Israelites ran away from them. God handed Israel over to Judah. 17 Abijah and his troops wounded and killed large numbers of them. In fact, 500,000 of Israel’s capable men lay dead or wounded. 18 So at that time the Israelites were brought under Judah’s control. The people of Judah won the battle over them. That’s because they trusted in the LORD, the God of their people. 19 Abijah chased Jeroboam. He captured from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron. He also captured the villages around them. 20 Jeroboam didn’t get his power back during the time of Abijah. In fact, the LORD struck Jeroboam down, and he died. 21 But Abijah grew stronger. He married 14 wives. He had 22 sons and 16 daughters. 22 The other events of Abijah’s rule are written down. The things he did and said are written in the notes of Iddo the prophet.

English Standard Version

Abijah Reigns in Judah

1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. (1Ki 15:1; 2Ch 12:16) 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah^[1] the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. (1Ki 15:7; 2Ch 11:20) 3 Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. (Jud 20:22; 1Sa 17:2; 2Ch 14:10) 4 Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! (Jos 18:22; Jos 24:33) 5 Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? (Nu 18:19; 2Sa 7:12; 2Sa 7:16) 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord, (1Ki 11:26; 1Ki 12:19) 7 and certain worthless scoundrels^[2] gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and irresolute^[3] and could not withstand them. (Jud 9:4; 1Ki 14:21; 2Ch 12:13) 8 “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. (1Ki 12:28) 9 Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination^[4] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods. (2Ch 11:14; 2Ch 29:31; Jer 5:7) 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. 11 They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. (Ex 25:31; Ex 27:20; Le 24:2; Le 24:5; Nu 1:53; 2Ch 2:4)

Ex 25:31Ex 27:20Le 24:2Le 24:5Nu 1:532Ch 2:4

12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.” (Nu 10:9; Ac 5:39) 13 Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops^[5] were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. (Jos 8:9) 14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. (2Ch 13:12; 2Ch 14:11) 15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. (2Ch 14:12) 16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. (2Ch 16:8) 17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. (2Ch 14:11; 2Ch 16:7) 19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron^[6] with its villages. (Jos 15:9; 2Ch 15:8; 2Ch 17:2) 20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down, and he died. (1Sa 25:38; 1Ki 14:20) 21 But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo. (2Ch 9:29; 2Ch 12:15; 2Ch 24:27)

2Ch 9:292Ch 12:152Ch 24:27