Abijah’s Reign over Judah^(A)

15 Abijah reigned over Judah starting in the eighteenth year of Nebat’s son Jeroboam’s reign. ² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. ³ He practiced the same sins that his father committed before he was born. Unlike his ancestor David, his heart never became devoted to the Lord his God. ⁴ Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the Lord his God maintained a lamp for David^[a] in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him so that Jerusalem would be established, ⁵ because David had practiced what the Lord considered to be right. He never avoided anything that the Lord had commanded him during his entire lifetime, except for the case of Uriah the Hittite.

⁶ There was continual military conflict between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout his entire lifetime. ⁷ The rest of Abijah’s accomplishments, including everything he undertook, are written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? And a state of war continued to exist between Abijah and Jeroboam. ⁸ Eventually, Abijah died, as did his ancestors, and he was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king.

Asa Reigns over Judah^(B)

⁹ Asa began to reign as Judah’s king during the twentieth year of the reign of^[b] Jeroboam as king over Israel.