2 Chronicles 13
American Standard Version
13 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah. 2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 And 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 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel: 5 Ought ye not to know that Jehovah, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, 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 And there were gathered unto him worthless men, base fellows, that strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could not withstand them. 8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of Jehovah in the hand of the sons of David; and ye are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods. 9 Have ye not driven out the priests of Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made you priests after the manner of the peoples of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods. 10 But as for us, Jehovah is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and we have priests ministering unto Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work: 11 and they burn unto Jehovah every morning and every evening burnt-offerings and sweet incense: the showbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of Jehovah our God; but ye have forsaken him. 12 And, behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against Jehovah, the God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried unto Jehovah, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah; and God delivered them into their hand. 17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. 18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon Jehovah, the God of their fathers. 19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth-el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and [a]Ephron with the towns thereof. 20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and Jehovah smote him, and he died. 21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and took unto himself fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters. 22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 13:19 Another reading is, Ephrain.
2 Crónicas 13
Nueva Versión Internacional
Abías, rey de Judá(A)
13 En el año dieciocho del reinado de Jeroboán, Abías comenzó a reinar en Judá 2 y reinó en Jerusalén tres años. Su madre era Micaías, hija de Uriel, de Guibeá.
Hubo guerra entre Abías y Jeroboán. 3 Para ir al combate, Abías escogió a cuatrocientos mil guerreros valientes; Jeroboán, por su parte, escogió a ochocientos mil y le hizo frente.
4 Abías subió al monte Zemarayin, en la región montañosa de Efraín, y gritó: «¡Jeroboán! ¡Israelitas! ¡Escúchenme todos ustedes! 5 ¿No saben que el Señor, Dios de Israel, concedió para siempre el reino de Israel a David y a sus descendientes mediante un pacto perpetuo?[a] 6 Sin embargo, Jeroboán, hijo de Nabat, oficial de Salomón, hijo de David, se rebeló contra su señor. 7 Unos hombres ociosos y perversos se unieron a Roboán, hijo de Salomón, cuando este era joven y débil de carácter, y se le impusieron, de modo que no pudo hacerles frente.
8 »Ustedes piensan que ahora, por ser muy numerosos y por tener los becerros de oro, esos ídolos que Jeroboán les hizo pueden oponerse al reino del Señor, aunque él se lo ha entregado a los hijos de David. 9 ¡Hasta expulsaron a los descendientes de Aarón, que son los sacerdotes del Señor, y a los levitas! En su lugar han nombrado sacerdotes, y a cualquiera que trae un ternero y siete carneros lo consagran como sacerdote de los dioses falsos, tal como lo hacen los pueblos paganos.
10 »Nosotros, en cambio, no hemos abandonado al Señor, porque él es nuestro Dios. Los descendientes de Aarón siguen siendo nuestros sacerdotes que sirven al Señor y los levitas son los encargados del culto. 11 Todos los días, por la mañana y por la tarde, ofrecen al Señor los holocaustos y queman el incienso; además, todas las tardes colocan el pan consagrado sobre la mesa de oro puro y encienden las lámparas del candelabro de oro. Dense cuenta de que nosotros sí mantenemos el culto al Señor nuestro Dios, a quien ustedes han abandonado. 12 Así que Dios, con sus sacerdotes, va al frente de nosotros. Las trompetas están listas para dar la orden de ataque contra ustedes. ¡Israelitas, no peleen contra el Señor, Dios de sus antepasados, pues no podrán vencerlo!».
13 Para tenderle una emboscada a Abías, Jeroboán situó parte de sus tropas detrás del ejército de Judá, mientras que al resto de sus tropas lo mandó al frente. 14 Cuando los de Judá miraron hacia atrás, se dieron cuenta de que los israelitas los atacaban también por la retaguardia. Entonces clamaron al Señor y los sacerdotes tocaron las trompetas. 15 En el momento en que los de Judá lanzaron el grito de guerra, Dios derrotó a Jeroboán y a los israelitas, dándoles la victoria a Abías y Judá. 16 Los israelitas intentaron huir, pero Dios los entregó al poder de Judá. 17 Abías y su ejército les ocasionaron una gran derrota, matando a quinientos mil soldados selectos de Israel. 18 En esa ocasión fueron humillados los israelitas, mientras que los de Judá salieron victoriosos porque confiaron en el Señor, Dios de sus antepasados.
19 Abías persiguió a Jeroboán y le arrebató las ciudades de Betel, Jesaná y Efraín, con sus respectivas aldeas. 20 Durante el reinado de Abías, Jeroboán no pudo recuperar su poderío. Al final, el Señor lo hirió y Jeroboán murió.
21 Abías, en cambio, siguió afirmándose en el trono. Tuvo catorce esposas, veintidós hijos y dieciséis hijas.
22 Los demás acontecimientos del reinado de Abías, su conducta y sus palabras, están escritos en el comentario del profeta Idó.
2 Chronicles 13
New King James Version
Abijah Reigns in Judah(A)
13 In (B)the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over (C)Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was [a]Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.
4 Then Abijah stood on Mount (D)Zemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: 5 Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel (E)gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, (F)by a covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and (G)rebelled against his lord. 7 Then (H)worthless rogues gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was (I)young and inexperienced and could not withstand them. 8 And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you are the gold calves which Jeroboam (J)made for you as gods. 9 (K)Have you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, (L)so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of (M)things that are not gods? 10 But as for us, the Lord is our (N)God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties. 11 (O)And they burn to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the (P)showbread in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps (Q)to burn every evening; for we keep the command of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him. 12 Now look, God Himself is with us as our (R)head, (S)and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they (T)cried out to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God (U)struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. 17 Then Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain. 18 Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, (V)because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers.
19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and (W)Ephrain[b] with its villages. 20 So Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the Lord (X)struck him, and (Y)he died.
21 But Abijah grew mighty, married fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayings are written in (Z)the [c]annals of the prophet Iddo.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 13:2 Maachah, 1 Kin. 15:2; 2 Chr. 11:20, 21
- 2 Chronicles 13:19 Or Ephron
- 2 Chronicles 13:22 Or commentary, Heb. midrash
2 Chronicles 13
New English Translation
Abijah’s Reign
13 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother[a] was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.[b]
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah launched the attack with 400,000 well-trained warriors,[c] while Jeroboam deployed against him 800,000 well-trained warriors.[d]
4 Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Don’t you realize that the Lord God of Israel has given David and his dynasty lasting dominion over Israel by a formal covenant?[e] 6 Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 7 Lawless good-for-nothing men[f] gathered around him and conspired[g] against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was an inexperienced young man[h] and could not resist them. 8 Now you are declaring that you will resist the Lord’s rule through the Davidic dynasty.[i] You have a huge army,[j] and bring with you the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 But you banished[k] the Lord’s priests, Aaron’s descendants, and the Levites, and appointed your own priests just as the surrounding nations do! Anyone who comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of these fake gods![l] 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not rejected him. Aaron’s descendants serve as the Lord’s priests, and the Levites assist them with the work.[m] 11 They offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord every morning and every evening, along with fragrant incense. They arrange the Bread of the Presence on a ritually clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. Certainly[n] we are observing the Lord our God’s regulations, but you have rejected him. 12 Now look, God is with us as our leader. His priests are ready to blow the trumpets to signal the attack against you.[o] You Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors,[p] for you will not win!”
13 Now Jeroboam had sent some men to ambush the Judahite army from behind.[q] The main army was in front of the Judahite army;[r] the ambushers were behind it. 14 The men of Judah turned around and realized they were being attacked from the front and the rear.[s] So they cried out to the Lord for help. The priests blew their trumpets, 15 and the men of Judah gave the battle cry. As the men of Judah gave the battle cry, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The Israelites fled from before the Judahite army,[t] and God handed them over to the men of Judah.[u] 17 Abijah and his army thoroughly defeated them;[v] 500,000 well-trained Israelite men fell dead.[w] 18 That day[x] the Israelites were defeated; the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the Lord God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah chased Jeroboam; he seized from him these cities: Bethel and its surrounding towns, Jeshanah and its surrounding towns, and Ephron and its surrounding towns. 20 Jeroboam did not regain power during the reign of Abijah.[y] The Lord struck him down and he died. 21 Abijah’s power grew; he had[z] fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his deeds and sayings,[aa] are recorded in the writings of the prophet Iddo.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 13:2 tnHeb “The name of his mother.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:2 tn The parallel text in 1 Kgs 15:2 identifies his mother as “Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom” (=Absalom, 2 Chr 11:20). Although most English versions identify the mother’s father as Uriel of Gibeah, a number of English versions substitute the name “Maacah” here for the mother (e.g., NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT).
- 2 Chronicles 13:3 tn Heb “and Abijah bound [i.e., began] the battle with a force of men of war, 400,000 chosen men.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:3 tn Heb “and Jeroboam arranged with him [for] battle with 800,000 chosen men, strong warrior[s].”
- 2 Chronicles 13:5 tn Heb “Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel has given kingship to David over Israel permanently, to him and to his sons [by] a covenant of salt?”sn For other references to a “covenant of salt,” see Lev 2:13 and Num 18:19.
- 2 Chronicles 13:7 tn Heb “empty men, sons of wickedness.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:7 tn Heb “strengthened themselves.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:7 tn Heb “a young man and tender of heart.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:8 tn Heb “the kingdom of the Lord by the hand of the sons of David.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:8 tn Or “horde”; or “multitude.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:9 tn In the Hebrew text this is phrased as a rhetorical question, “Did you not banish?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you did,” the force of which is reflected in the translation “But you banished.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:9 tn Heb “whoever comes to fill his hand with a bull, a son of cattle, and seven rams, and he is a priest to no-gods.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:10 tn Heb “and priests serving the Lord [are] the sons of Aaron and the Levites in the work.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:11 tn Or “for.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:12 tn Heb “and his priests and the trumpets of the war alarm [are ready] to sound out against you.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:12 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 18).
- 2 Chronicles 13:13 tn Heb “and Jeroboam had caused to circle around an ambush to come from behind them.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:13 tn Heb “Judah.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:14 tn Heb “and Judah turned, and, look, to them [was] the battle in front and behind.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:16 tn Heb “Judah.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:16 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 2 Chronicles 13:17 tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:17 tn Heb “and [the] slain from Israel fell, 500,000 chosen men.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:18 tn Heb “at that time.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:20 tn Heb “and the strength of Jeroboam was not retained again in the days of Abijah.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:21 tn Heb “lifted up for himself.”
- 2 Chronicles 13:22 tn Heb “and his ways and his words.”
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)
Santa Biblia, NUEVA VERSIÓN INTERNACIONAL® NVI® © 1999, 2015, 2022 por Biblica, Inc.®, Inc.® Usado con permiso de Biblica, Inc.® Reservados todos los derechos en todo el mundo. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

