Beginning

Chapter 13

Abijah and Jeroboam Go to War. ¹ In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah. ² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

When war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam,^{[a] 3} Abijah prepared to engage in battle with an army of valiant warriors composed of four hundred thousand picked men, while Jeroboam took the field against him with eight hundred thousand chosen mighty warriors.

⁴ Then Abijah stood up on the slopes of Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and cried out: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! ⁵ Do you not know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingship over Israel to David and his sons forever by a covenant of salt? ⁶ Yet Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon, the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord, ⁷ and certain worthless scoundrels gathered around him and proved to be too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, since at that time Rehoboam was far too young and inexperienced and was unable to withstand them.

⁸ “And now you believe that you can withstand the kingdom of the Lord that is in the hands of David’s descendants, you with your multitude of supporters and the golden calves that Jeroboam made as gods for you. ⁹ Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and made priests of your own like the peoples of foreign countries? Anyone who comes with an offering of a young bull and seven rams is automatically accepted as a priest of these gods that are no gods. ¹⁰ But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who are ministering to the Lord are descendants of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. ¹¹ Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord, display the rows of bread on the table of pure gold, and light the lamps on the golden lampstand every evening. For we indeed observe our responsibilities toward the Lord, our God, but you have abandoned him. ¹² God is with us. He is our leader. His priests with their trumpets are prepared to sound the call to battle against you. O Israelites, do not engage in conflict against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”

¹³ Meanwhile Jeroboam had sent a detachment of troops to attack them from behind. His main force was stationed in front of the forces of Judah, while the ambush lay behind them. ¹⁴ When the men of Judah turned around, they realized that they were surrounded and that they had to engage in battle on both fronts. Then they cried out to the Lord while the priests blew the trumpets. ¹⁵ After that, the men of Judah sounded their battle cry, and when they shouted, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ The Israelites fled before the Judahites, and God delivered them into the Judahites’ hands.

¹⁷ Abijah and his army inflicted heavy losses upon the Israelites. Five hundred thousand picked men of Israel fell during the battle. ¹⁸ The Israelites were thoroughly defeated at that time by the forces of Judah, because the Judahites relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁹ Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured three cities from him: Bethel with its dependencies, Jeshanah with its dependencies, and Ephron with its dependencies. ²⁰ Jeroboam did not regain his power during the reign of Abijah. Finally the Lord struck him down, and he died. ²¹ However, Abijah continued to grow ever stronger. He married fourteen wives and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

²² The Death of Abijah. The rest of the acts of Abijah’s reign, what he did and what he said, are recorded in the midrash of the prophet Iddo. ²³ Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him, and during his reign the country was at peace for ten years.

Chapter 14

Asa the Reformer. ¹ Asa did what was good and righteous in the eyes of the Lord, his God. ² He destroyed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed to pieces the sacred pillars, and cut down the sacred poles. ³ He further commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and his commandments.

⁴ Throughout all the cities of Judah he removed the high places and the incense altars, and under him the kingdom was at peace. ⁵ He also built fortified cities in Judah during those years of peace which the Lord had granted. ⁶ Asa then said to Judah: “Let us build up these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the guidance of the Lord, our God, and he has given us peace on every side.” Therefore, they built and prospered.

Zerah’s Invasion. ⁷ Asa had an army of three hundred thousand warriors from Judah armed with shields and spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin armed with shields and bows. All of them were mighty warriors. ^8 [b]Zerah the Ethiopian marched out against them with an army of one million men and three hundred chariots, and they advanced as far as Mareshah. ⁹ Asa went forth, to confront him, and the opposing armies drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

¹⁰ Asa then cried out to the Lord, his God, saying: “Lord, there is no one else like you to help the powerless against a mighty foe. Come to our aid, O Lord, our God, for we are relying upon you, and in your name we are prepared to confront this horde. O Lord, you are our God. Do not allow these mere mortals to prevail against you.” ¹¹ Then the Lord enabled Asa and Judah to strike down the Ethiopians, and they fled. ¹² Asa and his army followed in pursuit as far as Gerar. The Ethiopians fell mortally wounded until there were no survivors. Then the army of Judah carried off a tremendous amount of booty.

¹³ Following that victory, the Judahites destroyed all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord had filled the people with terror. Then they plundered all these villages and carried off all the treasures that were of great value. ¹⁴ They also attacked the tents of those who had livestock and carried away great numbers of sheep and goats and camels. After that they returned to Jerusalem.

Chapter 15

Cult Reform. ¹ The Spirit of God then came upon Azariah, the son of Oded. ² He went out to meet Asa and said to him: “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will permit you to find him, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you. ³ For a long time Israel was without a priest to impart teaching and without the law. ⁴ However, when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he allowed them to find him.

⁵ “In those times it was not safe for anyone to come or go, since all the inhabitants of the land were afflicted with massive disturbances, ⁶ with nations being crushed by other nations and cities by other cities, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. ⁷ But as for you, be strong and do not be discouraged, for your work shall be rewarded.”

⁸ When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah, the son of Oded the prophet, he became resolute in his courage and ordered the removal of the abominable idols throughout the land of Judah and Benjamin as well as from the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He also repaired the altar of the Lord which stood in the vestibule of the house of the Lord.

⁹ Then Asa assembled all the people of Judah and Benjamin, as well as those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing among them, since great numbers of people from Israel had deserted to him when they came to realize that the Lord his God was with him. ¹⁰ All the people assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. ¹¹ On that day they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the plunder they had brought back. ¹² After that, they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul, ¹³ while asserting that all those who refused to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether young or old, whether man or woman.

¹⁴ Then all of them swore an oath to the Lord with a loud voice and shouts of joy, while the trumpets and the horns resounded. ¹⁵ All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought the Lord with sincere desire. As a result, the Lord had allowed himself to be found by them, and he granted them peace on every side.

¹⁶ King Asa even removed his mother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down, crushed it to powder, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁷ Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa himself remained faithful throughout his life. ¹⁸ He brought into the house of God the votive gifts^[c] of his father as well as his own votive gifts—silver, gold, and sacred vessels.

¹⁹ There was no further warfare until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

Chapter 16

Asa’s Infidelity. ¹ In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa, Baasha, the king of Israel, invaded Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the kingdom of Asa, the king of Judah. ² Asa then brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of his own palace, and he sent it to Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, who resided in Damascus.

³ “Let there be an alliance between the two of us,” Asa said, “as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending you silver and gold. In return, I am asking you to break your alliance with Baasha, the king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.” ⁴ Ben-hadad approved the request of King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the towns of Israel. They ravaged Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all of the store cities of Naphtali.

⁵ When Baasha heard this, he discontinued his plan to fortify Ramah, and he abandoned any further improvements. ⁶ Then King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to remove the stones of Ramah and its timber that Baasha had been using to fortify that place, and he used them instead to fortify Geba and Mizpah.

⁷ At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and did not rely instead on the Lord, your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your clutches. ⁸ Did not the Ethiopians and the Libyans have a vast army with great numbers of chariots and cavalry? And yet, when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hands. ⁹ For the eyes of the Lord range throughout all the earth to strengthen the hearts of those who are totally committed to him. You have acted foolishly in this instance, and from now on you will be forced to endure wars.” ¹⁰ Then Asa became enraged at what the seer had said, and he ordered Hanani to be imprisoned in the stocks. Furthermore, at the same time Asa treated some others of his people with great cruelty.

¹¹ The history of the reign of Asa, from beginning to end, is recorded in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was gravely afflicted with severe disease in his feet. However, even during his illness he did not seek the help of the Lord but rather resorted to taking the advice of physicians. ¹³ Then, in the forty-first year of his reign, he died and fell asleep with his ancestors. ¹⁴ They buried him in the tomb that he had hewn for himself in the City of David, having laid him on a bier that had been filled with spices and various kinds of perfumes. In addition they also kindled a very great fire in his honor.^[d]

Chapter 17

Zeal of Jehoshaphat for the Law. ¹ Asa was succeeded as king by his son Jehoshaphat, and immediately thereafter he set out to strengthen his position against Israel. ² He stationed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and he placed garrisons throughout Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which his father Asa had captured.

³ The Lord was with Jehoshaphat^[e] because he had followed the example of his father from his earliest years and did not consult the Baals. ⁴ Rather, he sought the God of his father, observing his commandments, and refused to follow the practices of Israel. ⁵ As a result of this, the Lord made secure Jehoshaphat’s control of the kingdom. All Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, and his wealth and glory were exceedingly great. ⁶ He took enormous pride in following the ways of the Lord, and he ordered the removal of the high places and the sacred poles from Judah.

⁷ In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his most learned officials—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah. ^8 [f]With them he also sent the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, and Tobijah. Accompanying those Levites were the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹ They taught in Judah, having with them the book of the law of the Lord. They traveled through all the cities of Judah, instructing the people.

¹⁰ The Power of Jehoshaphat. The fear of the Lord seized all the kingdoms of the countries surrounding Judah, and as a result, they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Some of the Philistines brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, as well as silver as a tribute, while the Arabs also brought him a flock of seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats.

¹² Jehoshaphat grew steadily more powerful. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. ¹³ He also supervised great works in the cities of Judah, and he stationed soldiers, valiant warriors, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ The soldiers were classified by ancestral houses. Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah was the highest-ranking commander, with three hundred thousand mighty warriors. ¹⁵ Next in line under him was Jehohanan the commander, with two hundred and eighty thousand mighty warriors, ¹⁶ and next to him was Amasiah, the son of Zichri, who had volunteered for the service of the Lord, with two hundred thousand mighty warriors.

¹⁷ Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty warrior with two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield, ¹⁸ and next in line to him was Jehozabad with one hundred and eighty thousand men equipped for war. ¹⁹ These were the men in the service of the king, apart from those whom the king had stationed in fortified cities throughout all Judah.