Beginning

13 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam Abijah reigned upon Judah; (In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign upon Judah;)

² he reigned three years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And battle was betwixt Abijah and Jeroboam.

³ And when Abijah had begun battle, and had with him most chivalrous men, and four hundred thousand of chosen men, Jeroboam arrayed on the contrary the battle array with eight hundred thousand of men, and they were chosen men, and most strong men to battle. (And when Abijah began the battle, he had with him four hundred thousand most able, chosen men, and Jeroboam arrayed his battle array opposite him, with eight hundred thousand men, who were also very strong, and chosen for battle.)

⁴ And Abijah stood upon the hill Zemaraim (And Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim), that was in Ephraim, and he said, Hear thou, Jeroboam, and all Israel;

⁵ whether ye know not, that the Lord God of Israel gave to David the realm on Israel without end, to him and to his sons into the covenant of salt, that is, steadfast and stable? (do ye not know that the Lord God of Israel gave David the kingdom of Israel forevermore, yea, to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?)

⁶ And now Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon, the son of David, hath risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.

⁷ And most vain men, the sons of Belial, were gathered together to him, and they had might against Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. Certainly Rehoboam was boistous, either fond/or untaught, and of fearedful heart, and might not against-stand them (and could not stand against them).

⁸ Now therefore ye say, that ye be able to against-stand the realm of the Lord, that he holdeth in possession by the sons of David; and ye have a great multitude of people, and ye have golden calves, which Jeroboam made into gods to you. (And so now ye say, that ye be able to stand against the kingdom of the Lord, that he gave to the sons of David to have in possession; and ye have a great multitude of people, and ye have gold calves, which Jeroboam made to be your gods.)

⁹ And ye have cast away the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the deacons, and ye have made priests to you, as all the peoples of (other) lands have priests; whoever cometh and halloweth his hand in a bull, in oxes, and in seven wethers, anon he is made priest of them that be not gods. (And ye have thrown away the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and ye have made priests for yourselves, like all the peoples of other lands have; so that whoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bull, and with seven rams, he at once is made a priest of them that be not gods.)

¹⁰ But our Lord is God, whom we forsake not; and [the] priests of the sons of Aaron minister to the Lord, and (the) deacons be in their order; (But our Lord is God, whom we will not abandon; and the priests of the sons of Aaron serve the Lord, and the Levites assist them;)

¹¹ and they offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord by each day in the morrowtide and eventide, and also incense made by commandments of the law; and loaves be set forth in a most clean board; and at us is the golden candlestick, and the lantern thereof, that it be tended ever at eventide; and we keep the behests of our God, whom ye have forsaken. (and they offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord each day in the morning and in the evening, and also burn the incense as commanded by the Law; and the loaves be set forth on a most clean table; and with us is the gold candlestick, and its lanterns, that they light every evening; for we follow the orders, or the commands, of our God, whom ye have deserted.)

¹² Therefore God is duke in our host, and his priests, that trump and sound against you; do not ye, sons of Israel, fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for it speedeth not to you. (And so God is the leader of our army, and of his priests, who be ready to sound against you with trumpets; do not, ye Israelites, fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for it shall not profit you/for ye shall not prosper.)

¹³ While Abijah spake these things, Jeroboam made ready treasons behind (them); and when Jeroboam stood even against his enemies, he (en)compassed (them) with his host, Judah unwitting. (And while Abijah spoke all these things, Jeroboam prepared an attack behind them; and so while Jeroboam stood in front of his enemies, he was also behind them with his army, but Judah was unwitting, or unknowing.)

¹⁴ And Judah beheld, and he saw battle nigh even against before them, and behind their back; and he cried to the Lord, and [the] priests began to trump. (But then the men of Judah looked about, and they saw that the battle was to come from in front of them, and also from behind their backs; and they cried to the Lord, and the priests began to sound their trumpets.)

¹⁵ And all the men of Judah cried out, and, lo! while they cried on high, God made afeared Jeroboam and all Israel, that stood even against Judah and Abijah/which stood [over] against Judah and Abijah. (And all the men of Judah cried out, and, lo! while they cried on high, God made Jeroboam and all Israel afraid, who stood opposite, or in front of, Judah and Abijah.)

¹⁶ And the men of Israel fled from Judah, and God betook them into the hands of the men of Judah.

¹⁷ Therefore Abijah and his people smote them with a great wound, and there felled down of them five hundred thousand of strong men wounded. (And so Abijah and his people struck them down there with a great slaughter, and five hundred thousand strong men of them fell down slain.)

¹⁸ And the sons of Israel were made low in that time, and the sons of Judah were comforted full greatly, for they had hoped in the Lord God of their fathers. (And the Israelites were brought low at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed, for they had hoped in the Lord God of their fathers.)

¹⁹ And Abijah pursued Jeroboam fleeing, and took his cities, that is, Bethel and his villages, and Jeshanah with his villages, and Ephron and his villages; (And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took his cities, that is, Bethel, and its villages, and Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron, and all its villages;)

²⁰ and Jeroboam might no more against-stand (Judah) in the days of Abijah, whom the Lord smote, and he was dead. (and Jeroboam never regained his power in the days of Abijah, and finally the Lord struck him down, and he died.)

²¹ Therefore Abijah, when his empire was comforted, took fourteen wives, and he begat two and twenty sons, and sixteen daughters. (And so Abijah, when his empire was strengthened, or confirmed, took fourteen wives, and he begat twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters.)

²² The residue of [the] words of Abijah, and of his ways and his works, be written full diligently in the book of Iddo, the prophet. (And the rest of the deeds of Abijah, his ways and his works, be very diligently written down in The Book of Iddo, the prophet.)

14 And Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa, his son, reigned for him. In whose days the land rested in peace ten years (In whose days the land was at peace for ten years).

² And Asa did that, that was good and pleasant in the sight of his God, (And Asa did what was good and pleasing before his God,)

³ and he destroyed the altars of strange worshipping, that is, of idolatry, and the high places, and brake altogether the images, and cutted down [the] maumet woods; (and he destroyed the altars of idolatry, and the hill shrines, and broke in pieces the sacred pillars, and cut down the idol groves, or the sacred poles;)

⁴ and he commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and all [the] commandments. (and he commanded the people of Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to obey the Law and all the commandments.)

⁵ And he took away from all the cities of Judah (the) altars and (the) temples of idols, and he reigned in peace.

⁶ And he builded strong cities in Judah; for he was in rest (for the land was at rest), and no battles rose (up) in his times, for the Lord gave him peace.

⁷ And Asa said to Judah, Build we [up] these cities, and (en)compass we them with walls (and surround we them with walls), and strengthen we them with towers, and gates, and locks, as long as all things be restful from battle; for we have sought the Lord God of our fathers, and he hath given to us rest by compass. Therefore they builded, and there was no hindering in the building.

⁸ And Asa had in his host three hundred thousand of (the) men of Judah bearing shields and spears; and of Benjamin, he had two hundred thousand and fourscore thousand of shield-bearers and of archers; all these were full strong men.

⁹ Forsooth Zerah of Ethiopia went out against them with his host (of) ten hundred thousand (men), and with three hundred chariots, and came unto Mareshah.

¹⁰ Certainly Asa went (out) against them, and (they) arrayed (the) battle array in the valley of Zephathah, which is beside Mareshah.

¹¹ And Asa inwardly called (upon) the Lord God, and said, Lord, no diversity is with thee, whether thou help in few, either in many; our Lord God, help thou us, for we have trust in thee, and in thy name, and we came against this multitude; Lord, thou art our God, a man have not the mastery against thee. (And Asa inwardly called on the Lord God, and said, Lord, there is no difference for thee, whether thou help a few, or many; Lord our God, help thou us, for we have trust in thee, and we have gone out against this multitude in thy name; Lord, thou art our God, let no man have the mastery against thee.)

¹² Therefore the Lord made afeared (the) Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and (the) Ethiopians fled; (And so the Lord made the Ethiopians afraid of Asa and the people of Judah, and the Ethiopians fled;)

¹³ and Asa and his people, that was with him (who were with him), pursued them unto Gerar. And (the) Ethiopians felled down to (the) death, for they were all-broken by the Lord slaying (them), and by his host fighting (them). Then they took many spoils,

¹⁴ and they smote all the cities about Gerar; for great dread had assailed all men. And they spoiled the cities/And they rifled the cities, and bare away much prey; (and they struck all the cities about Gerar; for great fear had assailed all people. And they spoiled the cities/And they rifled the cities, and carried away much prey;)

¹⁵ and also they destroyed the folds of sheep, and they took multitude without number of sheep and of camels, and they turned again into Jerusalem. (and they also destroyed the sheepfolds, and they took away a multitude without number of sheep and camels, and then they returned to Jerusalem.)

15 Forsooth Azariah, the son of Oded, when the spirit of the Lord was come into him, (And Azariah, the son of Oded, after the spirit of the Lord came upon him,)

² he went out into the meeting of Asa (he went out to meet Asa); and said to him, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin, hear ye me; the Lord is with you, for ye were with him; if ye seek him, ye shall find him; soothly if ye forsake him, he shall forsake you.

³ Forsooth many days shall pass in Israel without (the) very God, and without priest, and without teacher, and without law. (But many days have passed in Israel without the true God, and without a priest, and without a teacher, and without the Law.)

⁴ And when they turn again in their anguish, and cry to the Lord God of Israel, and seek him, they shall find him. (But when, in their anguish, they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and cried to him, and sought him, they found him.)

⁵ In that time [there] shall not be peace to go out and to go in, but dreads on all side(s) on all the dwellers of the land. (At that time there was no safety, or security, to come in or to go out, but fear was on all sides for all the inhabitants of the land.)

⁶ For folk shall fight against folk, and a city against a city, for the Lord shall disturb them in all anguish; (And nation fought against nation, and a city against a city, for the Lord troubled them with all kinds of anguish;)

⁷ but be ye comforted, and your hands be not slacked; for meed shall be to your work. (but be ye strengthened, and do not let your hands be limp; for your work shall be rewarded.)

⁸ And when Asa had heard this thing, that is, the words and [the] prophecy of Azariah, the son of Oded, the prophet, he was comforted, and he did away all the idols from all the land of Judah and of Benjamin, and from the cities which he had taken of the hill of Ephraim. And he hallowed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the house of the Lord. (And when Asa had heard this, that is, the words and the prophecy of the prophet Azariah, the son of Oded, he was strengthened, or encouraged, and he did away all the idols from all the land of Judah and of Benjamin, and from the cities which he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, that was in front of the vestibule of the House of the Lord.)

⁹ And he gathered together all Judah and Benjamin, and with them the comelings of Ephraim, and of Manasseh, and of Simeon (and with them the newcomers from Ephraim, and Manasseh, and Simeon); for many of Israel, seeing that his Lord God was with him, fled over to him.

¹⁰ And when they had come into Jerusalem, in the third month, in the fifteen year of the realm of Asa,

¹¹ they offered to the Lord in that day, both of the spoils and of the prey, which they had brought, seven hundred oxen, and seven thousand wethers. (they offered to the Lord on that day, out of the spoils and the prey, which they had brought back, seven hundred oxen, and seven thousand rams.)

¹² And Asa entered by custom to make strong the bond of peace, that they should seek the Lord God of their fathers in all their heart, and in all their soul. (And they entered into a covenant, that they would seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul.)

¹³ And the king said, If any man seeketh not the Lord God of Israel, die he, from the least unto the most, from man unto woman. (And that whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, from the least unto the most, man or woman.)

¹⁴ And all that were in Judah swore with cursing to the Lord, that is, obliging themselves to cursing and pain of death, if they did against the oath, with [a] great voice, in hearty song, and in sound of trump, and in sound of clarions; (And they swore an oath, or a pledge, to the Lord with a loud voice, and a hearty shout, and the sounding of trumpets and horns.)

¹⁵ for they swore in all their heart, and in all their will they sought him, and found him; and the Lord gave to them rest by compass. (And all who were in Judah had great joy over the pledge; for they swore with all their heart, and they sought him with all their will, and they found him; and the Lord gave them rest, or peace, all about.)

¹⁶ But also he put down Maachah, the (grand)mother of Asa the king, that is, his own (grand)mother, from the strait empire, for she had made in a wood a simulacrum, or a likeness, of a man’s rod; and he all-brake that simulacrum, and pounded it into gobbets, and burnt it in the strand of Kidron. (And Asa also removed his grandmother Maachah, from her place of honour, for she had made an image, or a likeness, of a man’s rod in the forest/for she had made an obscene idol for the worship of Asherah; and he broke up that image, and pounded it into pieces, and burned it by the Kidron Stream/and burned it in the Kidron Gorge.)

¹⁷ But yet [the] high places were left in Israel; nevertheless the heart of Asa was rightful in all his days. (But yet there were still hill shrines in Israel; but Asa’s heart was upright in all his days.)

¹⁸ And he brought into the house of the Lord those things that his father [had] avowed, silver and gold, and diverse purtenance of vessels;

¹⁹ and battle was not unto the five and thirtieth year of the realm of Asa. (and there was no battle with any nation until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.)

16 Forsooth in the six and thirtieth year of his realm, Baasha, king of Israel, went up into Judah, and (en)compassed Ramah with a wall, that no man of the realm of Asa might go out, either enter in securely. (But in the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha, the king of Israel, went up into Judah, and surrounded Ramah with a wall, so that no man in Asa’s kingdom could safely come in, or go out.)

² And Asa brought forth gold and silver from the treasur[i]es of the house of the Lord, and from the king’s treasuries; and sent (it) to Benhadad, king of Syria, that dwelled in Damascus (who lived in Damascus), and said,

³ (A) Bond of peace is betwixt me and thee, and my father and thy father had accord together; wherefore I have sent to thee silver and gold, that when thou hast broken the bond of peace, which thou hast with Baasha, king of Israel, thou make him to go away from me. (There is a covenant between me and thee, and my father and thy father had an accord together; and so I have sent to thee my silver and gold, so that when thou hast broken the covenant which thou hast with Baasha, the king of Israel, then thou shalt make him go away from me.)

⁴ And when this was found (acceptable), Benhadad sent the princes of his hosts to the cities of Israel, which smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the walled cities of Naphtali. (And when this was found acceptable, Benhadad sent the leaders of his armies against the cities of Israel, who struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the walled cities of Naphtali.)

⁵ And when Baasha had heard this, he ceased to build (up) Ramah, and left [off] his work.

⁶ And king Asa took all Judah, and they took from Ramah the stones, and [the] wood, which Baasha had made ready to building; and he builded of those Geba, and Mizpah. (And King Asa commanded to all Judah, and they took away the stones, and the timber from Ramah, with which Baasha had fortified it; and Asa used them to fortify Geba and Mizpah.)

⁷ In that time Hanani, the prophet (At that time the prophet Hanani), came to Asa, king of Judah, and said to him, For-thy that thou haddest trust in the king of Syria, and not in the Lord thy God, therefore the host of the king of Syria escaped from thine hand.

⁸ Whether (the) Ethiopians and Libyans were not many more in chariots, and knights, and in full great multitude; which, when thou haddest believed to the Lord, he betook them into thine hands? (Did not the Ethiopians and the Libyans, with such a great multitude, have many more chariots, and horsemen than thee? yet, when thou had believed in the Lord, he delivered them into thy hands.)

⁹ For the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and give strength to them, that with perfect heart believe into him (and give strength to those, who with a perfect heart believe in him). Therefore thou hast done follily, and for this trust in men, yea, in this present time battles shall rise against thee.

¹⁰ And Asa was wroth against the prophet, and commanded him to be sent into the stocks. Forsooth the Lord had indignation greatly upon this thing, and he killed full many of the people in that time (And the king had great indignation because of this word, and he killed a great many people at that time).

¹¹ Soothly the first and [the] last works of Asa be written in the book of [the] kings of Judah and of Israel.

¹² And Asa was sick full greatly in the aching of his feet, in the nine and thirtieth year of his realm; and neither in his sickness he sought the Lord, but he trusted more in the craft of leeches. (And Asa was greatly sick, or pained, with aching feet, in the thirty-ninth year of his kingdom; yet even in his sickness he did not seek the Lord, but he trusted more in the craft of physicians.)

¹³ And Asa slept with his fathers, and was dead in the one and fortieth year of his realm. (And Asa went to be with his ancestors, and died in the forty-first year of his reign.)

¹⁴ And they buried him in his sepulchre, which he had made to himself in the city of David; and they put him, or laid him, on his bed full of sweet smelling spices and ointments of whores, that where made (al)together by the craft of ointment makers, and they burnt these upon him with full great cost. (And they buried him in his tomb, which he had made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him on his bed full of sweet smelling spices and ointments, which were made by the craft of ointment makers; and they burned a great bonfire to mourn his death.)

17 Forsooth Jehoshaphat, his son, reigned for him; and he had the mastery against Israel.

² And he set numbers of knights in all the cities of Judah, that were (en)compassed with walls (And he put numbers of horsemen in all the cities of Judah, that were surrounded with walls), and he disposed strongholds in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa, his father, had taken.

³ And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, which went in the first ways of David, his father; he hoped not in Baalim, (And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, who went in the early ways of his father Asa; he did not trust in, or follow, the Baalim,)

⁴ but he hoped in the Lord God of David, his father (but he hoped in the Lord God of his father Asa), and he went in the commandments of God, and not after the sins of Israel.

⁵ And the Lord confirmed the realm in his hand; and all Judah gave gifts to Jehoshaphat, and riches without number, and much glory was made to him.

⁶ And when his heart had taken hardiness for the ways of the Lord, he took away also (the) high places and [maumet] woods from Judah. (And he took pride in following the ways of the Lord, and he also did away the hill shrines and the idol groves, or the sacred poles, in Judah.)

⁷ And in the third year of his realm, he sent of his princes (he sent his officials), Benhail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethaneel, and Michaiah, that they should teach in the cities of Judah;

⁸ and with them he sent nine deacons, (or Levites,) that is, Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, deacons (all Levites); and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests;

⁹ and they taught the people in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord; and they compassed all the cities of Judah, and taught all the people. (and they taught the people in Judah, and had The Book of the Law of the Lord; and they went all around the cities of Judah, and taught all the people.)

¹⁰ Therefore the dread of the Lord was made upon all the realms of (the) lands, that were (round) about Judah; and those durst not fight against Jehoshaphat.

¹¹ But also [the] Philistines brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, and toll, or tribute, of silver; and men of Arabia brought to him sheep, seven thousand and seven hundred wethers, and so many bucks of goats (and as many goat bucks).

¹² Then Jehoshaphat increased, and was magnified till to on high; and he builded in Judah houses at the likeness of towers, and full strong cities;

¹³ and he made ready many works in the cities of Judah. Also men warriors and strong men were in Jerusalem; (and he had much work done in the cities of Judah. And there were men of war and strong men in Jerusalem;)

¹⁴ of which this is the number, by the houses and families of all (the) men (who were) in Judah. Duke Adnah was prince of the host (Adnah was the leader of the army), and with him were three hundred thousand full strong men.

¹⁵ And after him was Jehohanan (the) prince (And second in command was Jehohanan), and with him were two hundred thousand and fourscore thousand men.

¹⁶ After this also Amasiah, the son of Zichri, was hallowed to the Lord (And after him was Amasiah, the son of Zichri, who was dedicated to the Lord), and with him were two hundred thousand of strong men.

¹⁷ (And of Benjamin;) Eliada, a mighty man to battles, followed this Amasiah, and with him were two hundred thousand of men holding bow and shield. (And of Benjamin; Eliada, a mighty man of battles, and with him were two hundred thousand men holding bow and shield.)

¹⁸ After this was also Jehozabad, and with him were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand of ready knights. (And after him was Jehozabad, and with him were a hundred and eighty thousand fully-armed horsemen.)

¹⁹ All these were at the hand of the king, besides others, which he had put in walled cities in all Judah. (All of these were at the hand of the king, besides others, whom he had put in the fortified cities in all of Judah.)