Abijam King of Judah^(A)

15 Abijam [^C“My father is the Sea” (symbol of chaos); compare Abijah (“My father is the Lord”) in 2 Chr. 13:1] became king of Judah during the eighteenth year Jeroboam son of Nebat was king of Israel. ² Abijam ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Abishalom [^CDavid’s son Absalom]. ³ He ·did [committed; ^Lwalked in] all the same sins his father before him had ·done [committed]. ·Abijam was not faithful [^LHis heart was not fully/wholly devoted] to the Lord his God as David, his ·great-grandfather [^Lfather; ^Cin the sense of ancestor], had been. ⁴ ·Because the Lord loved David [For David’s sake], the Lord gave him a ·kingdom [^Llamp; ^Cpossibly a metaphor for the reign of a king] in Jerusalem and allowed him to have a son to be king after him. The Lord also ·kept Jerusalem safe [strengthened/established Jerusalem]. ⁵ David did what ·the Lord said was right [^Lwas right in the eyes/sight of the Lord] and ·obeyed [^Lhad not turned aside from] his commands all his ·life [^Ldays], except ·the one time when David sinned ·against [in the case/matter of] Uriah the Hittite [2 Sam. 11–12].

⁶ There was war between ·Abijam^[a] and Jeroboam during Abijam’s lifetime. ⁷ Everything else Abijam did is written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Judah. There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. ⁸ Abijam ·died [^Llay down/^Tslept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in the City of David [^CJerusalem], and his son Asa became king in his place.

Asa King of Judah

⁹ During the twentieth year Jeroboam was king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah. ¹⁰ His ·grandmother’s [mother’s; ^Cin the sense of ancestor] name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom [15:2]. Asa ruled in Jerusalem for forty-one years.

¹¹ Asa did what ·the Lord said was right [^Lwas right in the eyes/sight of the Lord], as his ·ancestor [^Lfather] David had done. ¹² He ·forced the male prostitutes at the worship places to leave the country [expelled/banished the male cult prostitutes from the land; 14:24]. He also took away the idols that his ·ancestors [fathers] had made. ¹³ His ·grandmother [mother; ancestor] Maacah had made a ·terrible [obscene; repulsive; abominable] Asherah ·idol [pole; 14:15], so Asa removed her from being queen mother. He cut down ·that idol [her obscene/repulsive/abominable image/pole] and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ The ·places of worship to gods [^Lhigh places; 3:2] were not removed. Even so, Asa was ·faithful [devoted; true] to the Lord all his life. ¹⁵ Asa brought into the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord the gifts he and his father had ·given [dedicated]: gold, silver, and utensils.

¹⁶ There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all ·the time they were kings [their days]. ¹⁷ Baasha ·attacked [invaded; ^Lwent up against] Judah, and he ·made the town of Ramah strong [fortified Ramah] so he could keep people from leaving or entering ·Judah, Asa’s country [^LAsa, king of Judah].

¹⁸ Asa took the rest of the silver and gold from the treasuries of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord and ·his own palace [^Lthe treasuries of the king’s house] and gave it to his ·officers [officials; servants]. Then he sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, who was the son of Hezion. Ben-Hadad was the king of Aram and ·ruled [lived] in the city of Damascus. Asa said, ¹⁹ “Let there be a treaty between you and me as there was between my father and your father. I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will ·leave my land [withdraw from me].”

²⁰ Ben-Hadad ·agreed with [listened to] King Asa, so he sent the commanders of his armies ·to attack [against] the towns of Israel. They defeated the towns of Ijon, Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, as well as all ·Galilee [^LKinnereth] and the area of Naphtali. ²¹ When Baasha heard about these attacks, he stopped ·building up [fortifying] Ramah and ·returned [withdrew] to Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa gave an ·order [proclamation] to all the people of Judah; everyone had to help carry away all the stones and ·wood [timber] Baasha had used in building Ramah, and they used them to build up Geba and Mizpah in the land of Benjamin.

²³ Everything else Asa did—his ·victories [power] and the cities he built—·is [^Lare they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Judah. When he became old, he got a disease in his feet. ²⁴ After Asa ·died [^Llay down/^Tslept with his fathers/ancestors], he was buried with his ·ancestors [fathers] in the City of David [^CJerusalem], his ·ancestor [father]. Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, ·became king [reigned] in his place.

Nadab King of Israel

²⁵ Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel during the second year Asa was king of Judah. Nadab ·was king of [reigned over] Israel for two years, ²⁶ and he did ·what the Lord said was wrong [^Levil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Jeroboam had led the people of Israel to sin, and Nadab ·sinned in the same way as his father Jeroboam [^Lwalked in the way/path of his father and in his sin].

²⁷ Baasha son of Ahijah, from the ·tribe [^Lhouse] of Issachar, ·made plans to kill Nadab [plotted/conspired against him]. Nadab and all Israel were ·attacking [laying siege to] the Philistine town of Gibbethon, so Baasha killed Nadab there. ²⁸ ·This happened [Baasha killed him] during Asa’s third year as king of Judah, and ·Baasha became the next king of Israel [reigned in his place].

Baasha King of Israel

²⁹ As soon as Baasha became king, he killed all of Jeroboam’s ·family [^Lhouse], leaving no one in Jeroboam’s ·family [^Lhouse] alive. He destroyed them all ·as the Lord had said would happen [^Laccording to the word which the Lord spoke] ·through [^Lby the hand of] his servant Ahijah from Shiloh. ³⁰ All this was because King Jeroboam had sinned very much and had led the people of Israel to sin, ·provoking [arousing] the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger.

³¹ Everything else Nadab did ·is [^Lis it not…?]written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel. ³² There was war between Asa [^Cking of Judah] and Baasha king of Israel all ·the time they ruled [their days].

³³ Baasha son of Ahijah became king of Israel during Asa’s third year as king of Judah. Baasha ruled in Tirzah for twenty-four years, ³⁴ and he did ·what the Lord said was wrong [^Levil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Jeroboam had led the people of Israel to sin, and Baasha ·sinned in the same way as [^Lwalked in the way of] Jeroboam.