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'歷 代 志 下 13 ' not found for the version: Chinese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version.

Abijah’s Reign

13 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 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. Abijah launched the attack with 400,000 well-trained warriors,[c] while Jeroboam deployed against him 800,000 well-trained warriors.[d]

Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 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] Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 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. 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. 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

  1. 2 Chronicles 13:2 tnHeb “The name of his mother.”
  2. 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).
  3. 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.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 13:3 tn Heb “and Jeroboam arranged with him [for] battle with 800,000 chosen men, strong warrior[s].”
  5. 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.
  6. 2 Chronicles 13:7 tn Heb “empty men, sons of wickedness.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 13:7 tn Heb “strengthened themselves.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 13:7 tn Heb “a young man and tender of heart.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 13:8 tn Heb “the kingdom of the Lord by the hand of the sons of David.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 13:8 tn Or “horde”; or “multitude.”
  11. 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.”
  12. 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.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 13:10 tn Heb “and priests serving the Lord [are] the sons of Aaron and the Levites in the work.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 13:11 tn Or “for.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 13:12 tn Heb “and his priests and the trumpets of the war alarm [are ready] to sound out against you.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 13:12 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 18).
  17. 2 Chronicles 13:13 tn Heb “and Jeroboam had caused to circle around an ambush to come from behind them.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 13:13 tn Heb “Judah.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 13:14 tn Heb “and Judah turned, and, look, to them [was] the battle in front and behind.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 13:16 tn Heb “Judah.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 13:16 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  22. 2 Chronicles 13:17 tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”
  23. 2 Chronicles 13:17 tn Heb “and [the] slain from Israel fell, 500,000 chosen men.”
  24. 2 Chronicles 13:18 tn Heb “at that time.”
  25. 2 Chronicles 13:20 tn Heb “and the strength of Jeroboam was not retained again in the days of Abijah.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 13:21 tn Heb “lifted up for himself.”
  27. 2 Chronicles 13:22 tn Heb “and his ways and his words.”

13 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam Abijah reigned upon Judah; (In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign upon Judah;)

he reigned three years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And battle was betwixt Abijah and Jeroboam.

And when Abijah had begun battle, and had with him most chivalrous men, and four hundred thousand of chosen men, Jeroboam arrayed on the contrary the battle array with eight hundred thousand of men, and they were chosen men, and most strong men to battle. (And when Abijah began the battle, he had with him four hundred thousand most able, chosen men, and Jeroboam arrayed his battle array opposite him, with eight hundred thousand men, who were also very strong, and chosen for battle.)

And Abijah stood upon the hill Zemaraim (And Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim), that was in Ephraim, and he said, Hear thou, Jeroboam, and all Israel;

whether ye know not, that the Lord God of Israel gave to David the realm on Israel without end, to him and to his sons into the covenant of salt, that is, steadfast and stable? (do ye not know that the Lord God of Israel gave David the kingdom of Israel forevermore, yea, to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?)

And now Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon, the son of David, hath risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.

And most vain men, the sons of Belial, were gathered together to him, and they had might against Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. Certainly Rehoboam was boistous, either fond/or untaught, and of fearedful heart, and might not against-stand them (and could not stand against them).

Now therefore ye say, that ye be able to against-stand the realm of the Lord, that he holdeth in possession by the sons of David; and ye have a great multitude of people, and ye have golden calves, which Jeroboam made into gods to you. (And so now ye say, that ye be able to stand against the kingdom of the Lord, that he gave to the sons of David to have in possession; and ye have a great multitude of people, and ye have gold calves, which Jeroboam made to be your gods.)

And ye have cast away the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the deacons, and ye have made priests to you, as all the peoples of (other) lands have priests; whoever cometh and halloweth his hand in a bull, in oxes, and in seven wethers, anon he is made priest of them that be not gods. (And ye have thrown away the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and ye have made priests for yourselves, like all the peoples of other lands have; so that whoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bull, and with seven rams, he at once is made a priest of them that be not gods.)

10 But our Lord is God, whom we forsake not; and [the] priests of the sons of Aaron minister to the Lord, and (the) deacons be in their order; (But our Lord is God, whom we will not abandon; and the priests of the sons of Aaron serve the Lord, and the Levites assist them;)

11 and they offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord by each day in the morrowtide and eventide, and also incense made by commandments of the law; and loaves be set forth in a most clean board; and at us is the golden candlestick, and the lantern thereof, that it be tended ever at eventide; and we keep the behests of our God, whom ye have forsaken. (and they offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord each day in the morning and in the evening, and also burn the incense as commanded by the Law; and the loaves be set forth on a most clean table; and with us is the gold candlestick, and its lanterns, that they light every evening; for we follow the orders, or the commands, of our God, whom ye have deserted.)

12 Therefore God is duke in our host, and his priests, that trump and sound against you; do not ye, sons of Israel, fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for it speedeth not to you. (And so God is the leader of our army, and of his priests, who be ready to sound against you with trumpets; do not, ye Israelites, fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for it shall not profit you/for ye shall not prosper.)

13 While Abijah spake these things, Jeroboam made ready treasons behind (them); and when Jeroboam stood even against his enemies, he (en)compassed (them) with his host, Judah unwitting. (And while Abijah spoke all these things, Jeroboam prepared an attack behind them; and so while Jeroboam stood in front of his enemies, he was also behind them with his army, but Judah was unwitting, or unknowing.)

14 And Judah beheld, and he saw battle nigh even against before them, and behind their back; and he cried to the Lord, and [the] priests began to trump. (But then the men of Judah looked about, and they saw that the battle was to come from in front of them, and also from behind their backs; and they cried to the Lord, and the priests began to sound their trumpets.)

15 And all the men of Judah cried out, and, lo! while they cried on high, God made afeared Jeroboam and all Israel, that stood even against Judah and Abijah/which stood [over] against Judah and Abijah. (And all the men of Judah cried out, and, lo! while they cried on high, God made Jeroboam and all Israel afraid, who stood opposite, or in front of, Judah and Abijah.)

16 And the men of Israel fled from Judah, and God betook them into the hands of the men of Judah.

17 Therefore Abijah and his people smote them with a great wound, and there felled down of them five hundred thousand of strong men wounded. (And so Abijah and his people struck them down there with a great slaughter, and five hundred thousand strong men of them fell down slain.)

18 And the sons of Israel were made low in that time, and the sons of Judah were comforted full greatly, for they had hoped in the Lord God of their fathers. (And the Israelites were brought low at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed, for they had hoped in the Lord God of their fathers.)

19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam fleeing, and took his cities, that is, Bethel and his villages, and Jeshanah with his villages, and Ephron and his villages; (And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took his cities, that is, Bethel, and its villages, and Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron, and all its villages;)

20 and Jeroboam might no more against-stand (Judah) in the days of Abijah, whom the Lord smote, and he was dead. (and Jeroboam never regained his power in the days of Abijah, and finally the Lord struck him down, and he died.)

21 Therefore Abijah, when his empire was comforted, took fourteen wives, and he begat two and twenty sons, and sixteen daughters. (And so Abijah, when his empire was strengthened, or confirmed, took fourteen wives, and he begat twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters.)

22 The residue of [the] words of Abijah, and of his ways and his works, be written full diligently in the book of Iddo, the prophet. (And the rest of the deeds of Abijah, his ways and his works, be very diligently written down in The Book of Iddo, the prophet.)