1 Kings 15
Holman 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 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 completely devoted to the Lord his God as his ancestor David had been.(D) 4 But because of David, the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem.(E) 5 For David did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, 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 Hittite.
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 fathers 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 reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s[b] name was Maacah(N) daughter[c] of Abishalom.
11 Asa did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, 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 fathers 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’s heart was completely 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 Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.(X) 17 Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah.(Y) He built Ramah(Z) in order to deny anyone access to Judah’s King Asa. 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 put it into the hands of 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 Baasha king 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 fathers 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 followed the example 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 provoked[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 Baasha king 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 reigned in Tirzah(BD) 24 years. 34 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.(BE)
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 15:2 Possibly granddaughter; 2Ch 13:2
- 1 Kings 15:10 Lit mother’s
- 1 Kings 15:10 Possibly granddaughter; 2Ch 13:2
- 1 Kings 15:13 Lit mother
- 1 Kings 15:29 Lit Jeroboam anyone breathing until
- 1 Kings 15:30 Lit provoked in the provocation of
1 Kings 15
New Living Translation
Abijam Rules in Judah
15 Abijam[a] began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. 2 He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom.[b]
3 He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. 4 But for David’s sake, the Lord his God allowed his descendants to continue ruling, shining like a lamp, and he gave Abijam a son to rule after him in Jerusalem. 5 For David had done what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and had obeyed the Lord’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite.
6 There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam[c] throughout Abijam’s reign. 7 The rest of the events in Abijam’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. There was constant war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8 When Abijam died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king.
Asa Rules in Judah
9 Asa began to rule over Judah in the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. 10 He reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother[d] was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom.
11 Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done. 12 He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols[e] his ancestors had made. 13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 Although the pagan shrines were not removed, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful to the Lord throughout his life. 15 He brought into the Temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated.
16 There was constant war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. 17 King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa’s territory in Judah.
18 Asa responded by removing all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace. He sent it with some of his officials to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message:
19 “Let there be a treaty[f] between you and me like the one between your father and my father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone.”
20 Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa’s request and sent the commanders of his army to attack the towns of Israel. They conquered the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Kinnereth, and all the land of Naphtali. 21 As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa sent an order throughout Judah, requiring that everyone, without exception, help to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the town of Geba in Benjamin and the town of Mizpah.
23 The rest of the events in Asa’s reign—the extent of his power, everything he did, and the names of the cities he built—are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. In his old age his feet became diseased. 24 When Asa died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David.
Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the next king.
Nadab Rules in Israel
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam began to rule over Israel in the second year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Israel two years. 26 But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his father, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
27 Then Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against Nadab and assassinated him while he and the Israelite army were laying siege to the Philistine town of Gibbethon. 28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, and he became the next king of Israel.
29 He immediately slaughtered all the descendants of King Jeroboam, so that not one of the royal family was left, just as the Lord had promised concerning Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. 30 This was done because Jeroboam had provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by the sins he had committed and the sins he had led Israel to commit.
31 The rest of the events in Nadab’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
Baasha Rules in Israel
32 There was constant war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. 33 Baasha son of Ahijah began to rule over all Israel in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Baasha reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years. 34 But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
Footnotes
- 15:1 Also known as Abijah.
- 15:2 Hebrew Abishalom (also in 15:10), a variant spelling of Absalom; compare 2 Chr 11:20.
- 15:6 As in a few Hebrew and Greek manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts read between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
- 15:10 Or The queen mother; Hebrew reads His mother (also in 15:13); compare 15:2.
- 15:12 The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung.
- 15:19 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads There is a treaty.
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