¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

¹¹ Therefore, Jesus said to Peter, Put the sword [back] into the sheath! The cup which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?

¹² So the troops and their captain and the guards (attendants) of the Jews seized Jesus and bound Him,

¹³ And they brought Him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year.

¹⁴ It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was expedient and for their welfare that one man should die for (instead of, in behalf of) the people.^(A)

¹⁵ Now Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. And that disciple was known to the high priest, and so he entered along with Jesus into the court of the palace of the high priest;

¹⁶ But Peter was standing outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the maid who kept the door and brought Peter inside.

¹⁷ Then the maid who was in charge at the door said to Peter, You are not also one of the disciples of this ^[a]Man, are you? He said, I am not!

¹⁸ Now the servants and the guards (the attendants) had made a fire of coals, for it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. And Peter was with them, standing and warming himself.

13 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.

² He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam of Israel.

³ And Abijah prepared for battle with an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with 800,000 chosen men, mighty men of valor.

⁴ And Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!

⁵ Ought you not to know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingship over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

⁶ Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord [the king].

⁷ And there gathered to him worthless men, base fellows, who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young [as king], irresolute, and inexperienced and did not withstand them with firmness and strength.

⁸ And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord which is in the hands of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and you have with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made for you for gods.

⁹ Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? So whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of idols that are not gods.

¹⁰ But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service.

¹¹ They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and incense of sweet spices; they set in order the showbread on the table of pure gold and attend to the golden lampstand, that its lamps may be lighted every evening. For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him.

¹² Behold, God Himself is with us at our head, and His priests with their battle trumpets to sound an alarm against you. O Israelites, fight not against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot prosper.

¹³ But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come around them from behind, so his troops were before Judah and the ambush behind.

¹⁴ When Judah looked, behold, the battle was before and behind; and they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets.

¹⁵ Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as they shouted, God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

¹⁶ And the Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands.

¹⁷ And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter, so there fell of Israel 500,000 chosen men.

¹⁸ Thus the Israelites were brought low at that time, and the people of Judah prevailed because they relied upon the Lord, the God of their fathers.

¹⁹ And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took some cities from him, Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephraim (Ephron), with their towns.

²⁰ Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah. And the Lord smote him and he died.

²¹ But Abijah became mighty. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

²² And the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

14 So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was at rest for ten years.

² And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

³ He took away the foreign altars and high places and broke down the idol pillars or obelisks and cut down the Asherim [symbols of the goddess Asherah]

⁴ And commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers [to inquire of and for Him and crave Him as a vital necessity], and to obey the law and the commandment.

⁵ Also Asa took out of all the cities of Judah the idolatrous high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under his reign.

⁶ And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace.

⁷ Therefore he said to Judah, Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours, because we sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him [yearning for Him with all our desire] and He has given us rest and peace on every side. So they built and prospered.

⁸ Asa had an army of 300,000 men out of Judah, who bore bucklers and spears, and 280,000 out of Benjamin, who bore shields and drew bows, all mighty men of courage.

⁹ There came out against Judah Zerah the Ethiopian with a host of a million [that is, too many to be numbered] and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.

¹⁰ Then Asa went out against him, and they set up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

¹¹ Asa cried to the Lord his God, O Lord, there is none besides You to help, and it makes no difference to You whether the one You help is mighty or powerless. Help us, O Lord our God! For we rely on You, and we go against this multitude in Your name. O Lord, You are our God; let no man prevail against You!

¹² So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.

¹³ Asa and the people with him pursued them to Gerar; and the Ethiopians were overthrown, so that none remained alive; for they were destroyed before the Lord and His host, who carried away very much booty.

¹⁴ And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear of the Lord came upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.

¹⁵ They smote also the cattle encampments and carried away sheep in abundance and camels; and they returned to Jerusalem.