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Abijam Rules in Judah

15 Abijam[a] began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom.[b]

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. 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. 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.

There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam[c] throughout Abijam’s reign. 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. When Abijam died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king.

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Footnotes

  1. 15:1 Also known as Abijah.
  2. 15:2 Hebrew Abishalom (also in 15:10), a variant spelling of Absalom; compare 2 Chr 11:20.
  3. 15:6 As in a few Hebrew and Greek manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts read between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

Abijah’s Reign over Judah(A)

15 Abijah reigned over Judah starting in the eighteenth year of Nebat’s son Jeroboam’s reign. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. He practiced the same sins that his father committed before he was born. Unlike his ancestor David, his heart never became devoted to the Lord his God. Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the Lord his God maintained a lamp for David[a] in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him so that Jerusalem would be established, because David had practiced what the Lord considered to be right. He never avoided anything that the Lord had commanded him during his entire lifetime, except for the case of Uriah the Hittite.

There was continual military conflict between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout his entire lifetime. The rest of Abijah’s accomplishments, including everything he undertook, are written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? And a state of war continued to exist between Abijah and Jeroboam. Eventually, Abijah died, as did his ancestors, and he was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 15:4 Lit. him