1 Kings 15
Christian Standard Bible
Judah’s King Abijam
15 In the eighteenth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah, 2 and he reigned three years in Jerusalem.(A) His mother’s name was Maacah(B) daughter[a] of Abishalom.
3 Abijam walked in all the sins his father before him had committed,(C) and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God as his ancestor David had been.(D) 4 But for the sake of David, the Lord his God gave him a lamp[b] in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him and by preserving Jerusalem.(E) 5 For David did what was right in the Lord’s sight, and he did not turn aside from anything he had commanded him all the days of his life,(F) except in the matter of Uriah(G) the Hethite.
6 There had been war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Rehoboam’s life.(H) 7 The rest of the events of Abijam’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(I) There was also war between Abijam and Jeroboam.(J) 8 Abijam rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.(K) His son Asa became king in his place.(L)
Judah’s King Asa
9 In the twentieth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam,(M) Asa became king of Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s[c] name was Maacah(N) daughter of Abishalom.
11 Asa did what was right in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.(O) 12 He banished the male cult prostitutes(P) from the land and removed all of the idols that his ancestors had made.(Q) 13 He also(R) removed his grandmother[d] Maacah from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image and burned it(S) in the Kidron Valley.(T) 14 The high places were not taken away,(U) but Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his entire life.(V) 15 He brought his father’s consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into the Lord’s temple: silver, gold, and utensils.(W)
16 There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns.(X) 17 Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah.(Y) He built Ramah(Z) in order to keep anyone from leaving or coming to King Asa of Judah. 18 So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple(AA) and the treasuries of the royal palace and gave it to his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad(AB) son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion king of Aram who lived in Damascus,(AC) saying, 19 “There is a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father.(AD) Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go and break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel(AE) so that he will withdraw from me.”
20 Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon,(AF) Dan,(AG) Abel-beth-maacah,(AH) all Chinnereth,(AI) and the whole land of Naphtali.(AJ) 21 When Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah.(AK) 22 Then King Asa gave a command to everyone without exception in Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then King Asa built Geba(AL) of Benjamin and Mizpah(AM) with them.
23 The rest of all the events of Asa’s reign,(AN) along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(AO) But in his old age he developed a disease in his feet.(AP) 24 Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of his ancestor David.(AQ) His son Jehoshaphat(AR) became king in his place.
Israel’s King Nadab
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam(AS) became king over Israel in the second year of Judah’s King Asa; he reigned over Israel two years. 26 Nadab did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of his father and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.(AT)
27 Then Baasha(AU) son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon(AV) of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon. 28 In the third year of Judah’s King Asa,(AW) Baasha killed Nadab(AX) and reigned in his place.
29 When Baasha became king, he struck down the entire house of Jeroboam.(AY) He did not leave Jeroboam any survivors but[e] destroyed his family according to the word of the Lord he had spoken through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.(AZ) 30 This was because Jeroboam had angered[f] the Lord God of Israel by the sins he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.(BA)
31 The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.(BB) 32 There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns.(BC)
Israel’s King Baasha
33 In the third year of Judah’s King Asa, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah(BD) twenty-four years. 34 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of Jeroboam and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.(BE)
1 Kings 15
New American Standard Bible
Abijam Reigns over Judah
15 (A)Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [a](B)Maacah the daughter of [b](C)Abishalom. 3 He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and (D)his heart was not [c]wholly devoted to the Lord his God, like the heart of his father David. 4 But for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a (E)lamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem, 5 (F)because David did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and did not deviate from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, (G)except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. 6 (H)And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
7 Now as for (I)the rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? (J)And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
Asa Succeeds Abijam
8 (K)And Abijam [d]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and his son Asa became king in his place.
9 So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king of Judah. 10 He reigned for forty-one years in Jerusalem; and (L)his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 Now (M)Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like his father David. 12 (N)He also removed the male cult prostitutes from the land and (O)removed all the idols which his fathers had made. 13 And even his mother Maacah, (P)he also removed her from the position of queen mother, because she had made an abominable image [e]as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her abominable image and (Q)burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 (R)But the high places [f]were not eliminated; nevertheless (S)Asa’s heart was [g]wholly devoted to the Lord all his days. 15 And (T)he brought into the house of the Lord the [h]holy gifts of his father and his own [i]holy gifts: silver, gold, and valuable utensils.
16 (U)Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 (V)Baasha king of Israel marched against Judah and [j](W)fortified Ramah (X)in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then (Y)Asa took all the silver and the gold that was left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king’s house, and handed it over to his servants. And (Z)King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived in (AA)Damascus, saying, 19 “Let’s make a (AB)treaty between [k]you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” 20 So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and [l]conquered (AC)Ijon, (AD)Dan, (AE)Abel-beth-maacah, and all (AF)Chinneroth, besides all the land of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard about it, (AG)he stopped [m]fortifying Ramah and remained in (AH)Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had built fortifications. And King Asa built with them (AI)Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.
Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa
23 (AJ)Now as for the rest of all the acts of Asa and all his might, and all that he did and the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa [n]lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David; and his son (AK)Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.
Nadab and Then Baasha Rule over Israel
25 Now (AL)Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years. 26 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and (AM)walked in the way of his father and (AN)in his sin into which he misled Israel. 27 Then (AO)Baasha the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha struck and killed him at (AP)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.
28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. 29 And as soon as he was king, he struck and killed all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave Jeroboam any [o]persons alive, but kept killing until he had eliminated them, (AQ)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30 and because of the sins of Jeroboam which he [p]committed, and into (AR)which he misled Israel, because of his provocation with which he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.
31 (AS)Now as for the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
War with Judah
32 (AT)And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned for twenty-four years. 34 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and (AU)walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin into which he misled Israel.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 15:2 In 2 Chr 13:2, Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel
- 1 Kings 15:2 In 2 Chr 11:20, Absalom
- 1 Kings 15:3 Lit complete with
- 1 Kings 15:8 I.e., died
- 1 Kings 15:13 Or for Asherah; i.e., wooden symbol of a female deity
- 1 Kings 15:14 Lit did not cease
- 1 Kings 15:14 Lit complete with
- 1 Kings 15:15 Or votive offerings; i.e., gifts vowed
- 1 Kings 15:15 Or votive offerings; i.e., gifts vowed
- 1 Kings 15:17 Lit built
- 1 Kings 15:19 Lit me and you
- 1 Kings 15:20 Lit struck
- 1 Kings 15:21 Lit building
- 1 Kings 15:24 I.e., died
- 1 Kings 15:29 Lit breath
- 1 Kings 15:30 Lit sinned
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