¹⁴ Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.

⁵ Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever^(A) by a covenant of salt?^{(B) 6} Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled^(C) against his master. ⁷ Some worthless scoundrels^(D) gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive^(E) and not strong enough to resist them.

⁸ “And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David’s descendants.^(F) You are indeed a vast army and have with you^(G) the golden calves^(H) that Jeroboam made to be your gods. ⁹ But didn’t you drive out the priests^(I) of the Lord,^(J) the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull^(K) and seven rams^(L) may become a priest of what are not gods.^(M)

¹⁰ “As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. ¹¹ Every morning and evening^(N) they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense^(O) to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table^(P) and light the lamps^(Q) on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him. ¹² God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you.^(R) People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord,^(S) the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”^(T)

¹³ Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush^(U) was behind them. ¹⁴ Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out^(V) to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets ¹⁵ and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel^(W) before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered^(X) them into their hands.

²⁸ The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god^(A) of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know^(B) that I am the Lord.’”

²⁹ For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day. ³⁰ The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek,^(C) where the wall collapsed^(D) on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid^(E) in an inner room.

¹⁹ The junior officers under the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them ²⁰ and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen. ²¹ The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.

Ahab Defeats Ben-Hadad

¹³ Meanwhile a prophet^(A) came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will know^(B) that I am the Lord.’”