1 Kings 15
Living Bible
15 1-2 Abijam began his three-year reign as king of Judah in Jerusalem during the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. (Abijam’s mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.) 3 He was as great a sinner as his father was, and his heart was not right with God, as King David’s was. 4 But despite Abijam’s sin, the Lord remembered David’s love[a] and did not end the line of David’s royal descendants. 5 For David had obeyed God during his entire life except for the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite. 6 During Abijam’s reign there was constant war between Israel and Judah.[b] 7 The rest of Abijam’s history is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 8 When he died he was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Asa reigned in his place.
9 Asa became king of Judah, in Jerusalem, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jeroboam over Israel, 10 and reigned forty-one years. (His grandmother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.) 11 He pleased the Lord like his ancestor King David. 12 He executed the male prostitutes and removed all the idols his father had made. 13 He deposed his grandmother Maacah as queen mother because she had made an idol—which he cut down and burned at Kidron Brook. 14 However, the shrines on the hills were not removed, for Asa did not realize that these were wrong.[c] 15 He made permanent exhibits in the Temple of the bronze shields his grandfather had dedicated,[d] along with the silver and gold vessels he himself had donated.
16 There was lifelong war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. 17 King Baasha built the fortress city of Ramah in an attempt to cut off all trade with Jerusalem. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and gold left in the Temple treasury and all the treasures of the palace, and gave them to his officials to take to Damascus, to King Ben-hadad of Syria, with this message:
19 “Let us be allies just as our fathers were. I am sending you a present of gold and silver. Now break your alliance with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone.”
20 Ben-hadad agreed and sent his armies against some of the cities of Israel; and he destroyed Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all of Chinneroth, and all the cities in the land of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha received word of the attack, he discontinued building the city of Ramah and returned to Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, asking every able-bodied man to help demolish Ramah and haul away its stones and timbers. And King Asa used these materials to build the city of Geba in Benjamin and the city of Mizpah.
23 The rest of Asa’s biography—his conquests and deeds and the names of the cities he built—is found in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. In his old age his feet became diseased, 24 and when he died, he was buried in the royal cemetery in Jerusalem. Then his son Jehoshaphat became the new king of Judah.
25 Meanwhile over in Israel, Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, had become king. He reigned two years, beginning in the second year of the reign of King Asa of Judah. 26 But he was not a good king; like his father, he worshiped many idols and led all of Israel into sin.
27 Then Baasha (the son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar) plotted against him and assassinated him while he was with the Israeli army laying siege to the Philistine city of Gibbethon. 28 So Baasha replaced Nadab as the king of Israel in Tirzah during the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah. 29 He immediately killed all of the descendants of King Jeroboam, so that not one of the royal family was left, just as the Lord had said would happen when he spoke through Ahijah, the prophet from Shiloh. 30 This was done because Jeroboam had angered the Lord God of Israel by sinning and leading the rest of Israel into sin.
31 Further details of Baasha’s reign are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.
32-33 There was continuous warfare between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. Baasha reigned for twenty-four years, 34 but all that time he continually disobeyed the Lord. He followed the evil paths of Jeroboam, for he led the people of Israel into the sin of worshiping idols.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 15:4 the Lord remembered David’s love, literally, “for David’s sake.”
- 1 Kings 15:6 between Israel and Judah, literally, “between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.”
- 1 Kings 15:14 Asa did not realize that these were wrong, literally, “the heart of Asa was perfect toward Jehovah all his days.”
- 1 Kings 15:15 the bronze shields his grandfather had dedicated, literally, “the dedicated objects of his grandfather,” see 14:27.
1 Kings 15
New King James Version
Abijam Reigns in Judah(A)
15 (B)In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. (C)His mother’s name was (D)Maachah the granddaughter of (E)Abishalom. 3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; (F)his heart was not [a]loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 4 Nevertheless (G)for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; 5 because David (H)did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, (I)except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6 (J)And there was war between [b]Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7 (K)Now 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? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
8 (L)So Abijam [c]rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place.
Asa Reigns in Judah(M)
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah. 10 And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. 11 (N)Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did his father David. 12 (O)And he banished the [d]perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 Also he removed (P)Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of [e]Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and (Q)burned it by the Brook Kidron. 14 (R)But the [f]high places were not removed. Nevertheless Asa’s (S)heart was loyal to the Lord all his days. 15 He also brought into the house of the Lord the things which his father (T)had dedicated, and the things which he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils.
16 Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 And (U)Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built (V)Ramah, (W)that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And King Asa sent them to (X)Ben-Hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in (Y)Damascus, saying, 19 “Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a present of silver and gold. Come and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
20 So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and (Z)sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked (AA)Ijon, (AB)Dan, (AC)Abel Beth Maachah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah, and remained in (AD)Tirzah.
22 (AE)Then King Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted. And they took away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them King Asa built (AF)Geba of Benjamin, and (AG)Mizpah.
23 The rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, 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 (AH)in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 So Asa [g]rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. (AI)Then (AJ)Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
Nadab Reigns in Israel
25 Now (AK)Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in (AL)his sin by which he had made Israel sin.
27 (AM)Then Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha killed him at (AN)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. 28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. 29 And it was so, when he became king, that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to (AO)the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30 (AP)because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he had sinned and by which he had made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he had provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.
31 Now 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? 32 (AQ)And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
Baasha Reigns in Israel
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in (AR)the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 15:3 Lit. at peace with
- 1 Kings 15:6 So with MT, LXX, Tg., Vg.; some Heb. mss., Syr. Abijam
- 1 Kings 15:8 Died and joined his ancestors
- 1 Kings 15:12 Heb. qedeshim, those practicing sodomy and prostitution in religious rituals
- 1 Kings 15:13 A Canaanite goddess
- 1 Kings 15:14 Places for pagan worship
- 1 Kings 15:24 Died and joined his ancestors
1 Kings 15
English Standard Version
Abijam Reigns in Judah
15 (A)Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3 And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and (B)his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. 4 Nevertheless, for David's sake the Lord his God gave him (C)a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5 because (D)David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, (E)except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6 (F)Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7 (G)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? (H)And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8 (I)And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.
Asa Reigns in Judah
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 (J)And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. 12 He put away the (K)male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed (L)all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 (M)He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and (N)burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 (O)But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, (P)the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. 15 And (Q)he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.
16 (R)And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 (S)Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and (T)built Ramah, (U)that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold (V)that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. (W)And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, (X)who lived in Damascus, saying, 19 “Let there be (Y)a covenant[a] between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 20 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered (Z)Ijon, (AA)Dan, (AB)Abel-beth-maacah, and all (AC)Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 And when Baasha heard of it, (AD)he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in (AE)Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built (AF)Geba of Benjamin and (AG)Mizpah. 23 (AH)Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and (AI)Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
Nadab Reigns in Israel
25 (AJ)Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (AK)and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin (AL)which he made Israel to sin.
27 (AM)Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at (AN)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for 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 killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, (AO)according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30 It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and (AP)that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.
31 Now 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? 32 (AQ)And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
Baasha Reigns in Israel
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (AR)and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 15:19 Or treaty; twice in this verse
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
