2 Chronicles 13
Common English Bible
Abijah rules Judah
13 Abijah[a] became king over Judah in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam. 2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah; she was Uriel’s daughter from Gibeah. When war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam, 3 Abijah went to fight with an army of four hundred thousand select troops against Jeroboam’s select forces numbering eight hundred thousand, who were arrayed in battle formation.
4 Abijah stood on the heights of Mount Zemaraim in Ephraim’s highlands and said:
“Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Surely you know that the Lord, Israel’s God, made an unbreakable covenant[b] with David and his descendants that they would rule Israel forever. 6 It was Jeroboam, Nebat’s son, the servant of Solomon, David’s son, who rebelled against his master. 7 When some useless, worthless people joined his cause, they overpowered Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, who was too young and timid to resist them. 8 And now do you intend to challenge the Lord’s royal rule, entrusted to David’s descendants? You may have a numerical advantage, as well as the gold calves Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 But you’ve banished the Lord’s priests, Aaron’s sons, along with the Levites, so that you could appoint your own priests as other countries do. Now anyone who shows up with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these phony gods!
10 “But us? The Lord is our God, and we haven’t abandoned him. Aaron’s descendants serve as the Lord’s priests, assisted in the work by the Levites. 11 Every morning and every evening they offer entirely burned offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord, and set out bread in stacks upon a clean table. At night they light the lamps on the gold lampstand. Yes, while you are abandoning the Lord our God, we are doing what he requires. 12 Listen! God is on our side, at our head, along with his priests, who are ready to sound the battle trumpets against you. So, Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you won’t succeed!”
13 Meanwhile, Jeroboam had sent troops around behind them for an ambush so that the main force was in front of Judah while the ambush was behind. 14 When Judah looked around and suddenly realized that they were surrounded, they cried out to the Lord while the priests sounded the trumpets 15 and raised the battle cry. When they raised the battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God gave Judah the victory. 17 Abijah and his people struck them severely: five hundred thousand select warriors were killed. 18 Israel was subdued on that occasion, and Judah succeeded because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took these cities away from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron,[c] along with their villages. 20 Jeroboam failed to regain power during the time of Abijah. The Lord finally struck him down, and he died. 21 Abijah, however, grew strong. He married fourteen wives; he had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of Abijah’s deeds, what he did and what he said, are written in the account of the prophet Iddo.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 13:1 Spelled Abijam in 1 Kgs 15:1, 7-8
- 2 Chronicles 13:5 Or a covenant of salt
- 2 Chronicles 13:19 Qere, LXX; Kethib Ephrain
2 Chronicles 13
International Standard Version
Abijah Succeeds Rehoboam(A)
13 During the eighteenth year of the reign of[a] King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Uriel’s daughter Micaiah from Gibeah.
A war started between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah started the battle with an army of 400,000 specially chosen valiant soldiers, but Jeroboam opposed him with 800,000 specially chosen valiant soldiers. 4 Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and announced:
“Listen to me, Jeroboam and Israel! 5 Don’t you know that the Lord God of Israel assigned the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever by a salt covenant?[b] 6 Even so, Nebat’s son Jeroboam, who used to serve David’s son Solomon, rose in rebellion against his own master! 7 Useless troublemakers[c] soon gathered around him, who turned out to be too strong for Rehoboam, because he was young, timid, and unable to withstand them.
8 “So now you think you’ll be able to withstand the Lord’s kingdom as controlled by David’s descendants, just because you have a large crown and have brought with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 Haven’t you already driven away the Lord’s priests, the descendants of Aaron and the descendants of Levi? Haven’t you established your own priests like the people of other[d] lands?
10 “Now as far as we’re concerned, the Lord is our God, and we haven’t abandoned him. The descendants of Aaron are ministering to the Lord as priests, and the descendants of Levi continue their work. 11 Every morning and evening, they’re offering burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord, the showbread is set out on the pure table, and they take care of the golden lamp stand so its lamps can continue to burn every evening. We continue to be faithful over what the Lord our God entrusted to us, but you have abandoned him. 12 Now listen! God is with us to lead us, and his priests are about to sound their battle trumpets against you. Descendants of Israel, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, because you won’t succeed!”
13 But Jeroboam had sent an ambush to attack from the rear, so Israel was in front of Judah, with the ambush set in place behind them. 14 When the army of[e] Judah turned around to look, they were being attacked from both front and rear, so they cried out to the Lord while the priests sounded their trumpets. 15 Then the army of Judah sounded a war cry, and God routed Jeroboam and the entire army of Israel in front of Abijah and Judah. 16 When the descendants of Israel ran away from the army of Judah, God handed them over to the army of Judah. 17 Abijah and his army defeated them in a tremendous slaughter that resulted in 500,000 special forces from Israel being slain. 18 And so the descendants of Israel were defeated at that time. The descendants of Judah were victorious because they trusted in the Lord God of their ancestors. 19 After this Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured Bethel and its villages, Jeshanah and its villages, and Ephron and its villages.
Jeroboam’s Death and Asa’s Reign in Judah
20 Jeroboam never recovered his strength for the rest of Abijah’s life. The Lord struck Jeroboam,[f] and he died, 21 but Abijah continued to grow more powerful. He took fourteen wives for himself and fathered 22 sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of Abijah’s accomplishments, his lifestyle and his memoirs are recorded in the Midrash[g] of the Prophet Iddo.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 13:1 The Heb. lacks the reign of
- 2 Chronicles 13:5 Cf. Lev 2:13; Num 18:19
- 2 Chronicles 13:7 Lit. sons of Belial
- 2 Chronicles 13:9 The Heb. lacks other
- 2 Chronicles 13:14 The Heb. lacks the army of
- 2 Chronicles 13:20 Lit. him
- 2 Chronicles 13:22 Or Commentary
2 Chronicles 13
King James Version
13 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.
2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3 And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.
4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
5 Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.
7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.
8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with your golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.
9 Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.
10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the Lord, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:
11 And they burn unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken him.
12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.
17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers.
19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephraim with the towns thereof.
20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the Lord struck him, and he died.
21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.
22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
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