Beginning

Abijah’s Bold Speech

13 In the 18 th year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. ² He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³ Abijah went into battle with an army of valiant warriors, 400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam arranged for battle against him 800,000 chosen men, mighty warriors.

⁴ Abijah stood on top of Mount Zemaraim, which is a hill of Ephraim, and said, “Listen to me Jeroboam and all Israel! ⁵ Don’t you know that Adonai, God of Israel, has given kingship over Israel to David forever—to him and his sons by a covenant of salt? ⁶ Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. ⁷ Riffraff and scoundrels gathered around him and pressed hard on Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted and could not stand up to them.

⁸ “So now, do you intend to oppose the kingdom of Adonai, which is in the hand of David’s descendants? Are you indeed a great multitude—and with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods? ⁹ Have you not banished the kohanim of Adonai, the sons of Aaron, as well as the Levites, and then appointed your own priests—just as the peoples of the lands do? Can whoever comes to consecrate himself with a bull from a young cow and seven rams become a priest—for gods of nothing?

¹⁰ “But as for us, Adonai is our God! And we have not forsaken Him. We have the sons of Aaron ministering as kohanim to Adonai and the Levites in their work. ¹¹ Every morning and evening they burn to Adonai burnt offerings and sweet incense. They set the rows of bread on the pure table and they light the golden menorah with its lamps burning every evening—for we keep the service of Adonai Eloheinu—but you have forsaken Him. ¹² So look, God is with us at our head, and His kohanim with the signal trumpets to sound an alarm against you. O men of Israel, do not fight against Adonai, the God of your fathers—for you will not succeed!”

¹³ But Jeroboam had commanded the ambush to go around and come from the rear. So while they were in front of Judah, the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ When Judah turned around, behold, the battle was before and behind them. They cried out to Adonai and the kohanim blew the trumpets. ¹⁵ Then the men of Judah raised a battle cry, and as the men of Judah shouted, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ Then men of Israel fled before Judah and God delivered them into their hand. ¹⁷ So Abijah and his people defeated them with a great slaughter, and 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain. ¹⁸ Thus men of Israel were subdued at that time, while the children of Judah prevailed—because they relied upon Adonai, the God of their fathers.

¹⁹ Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured towns from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. ²⁰ Jeroboam could not muster strength again in the days of Abijah. Finally Adonai struck him and he died.

²¹ But Abijah grew powerful and took to himself 14 wives and fathered 22 sons and 16 daughters. ²² Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the chronicles of the prophet Iddo. ²³ Then Abijah slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa became king in his place. During his days the land was untroubled for ten years.

Asa’s Reforms Bring Adonai’s Rest

14 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of Adonai his God. ² He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. ³ He commanded Judah to seek Adonai, the God of their fathers, and to obey the Torah and the mitzvah. ⁴ He also removed the high places and the incense stands out of all the cities of Judah. So the kingdom remained untroubled under him. ⁵ He built up fortified cities in Judah, for the land was untroubled and he was not engaged in warfare during those years because Adonai had given him rest.

⁶ Then he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars, while the land is still ours because we have sought Adonai Eloheinu. We sought Him and He has given us rest all around.” So they built and were successful.

Appeal to Defeat the Cushites

⁷ Now Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah who bore shields and spears and 280,000 from Benjamin who bore shields and drew bows. All of these were valiant warriors.

⁸ Then Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots. When he arrived at Mareshah, ⁹ Asa went out to meet him and they arrayed for battle in the valley of Zephath at Mareshah.

¹⁰ Then Asa cried to Adonai his God and said, “Adonai, there is no one like You to help in battle between the mighty and the powerless. Help us, Adonai Eloheinu, for we rely on You and in Your Name we have come against this multitude. You are Adonai Eloheinu! Let no man prevail against You.”

¹¹ So Adonai struck down the Cushites before Asa and before Judah. The Cushites fled ¹² and Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So many of the Cushites fell that they could not recover because they were shattered before Adonai and before His army. They carried away very much spoil. ¹³ They destroyed all the cities around Gerar, for the terror from Adonai came on them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much spoil in them. ¹⁴ They also attacked the tents of herdsmen and carried off many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Prophets Encourage Further Reforms

15 The Ruach Elohim came upon Azariah the son of Oded. ² He went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Listen to me Asa, all Judah and Benjamin. Adonai is with you as long as you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. But if you forsake Him, He will spurn you. ³ For many days Israel was without the true God, without a teaching kohen and without Torah. ⁴ But in their distress they turned to Adonai, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. ⁵ In those times there was no shalom for anyone coming or going, for there were many conflicts among all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶ Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. ⁷ But you, chazak! Do not let your hands be slack for there is reward for your labor.”

⁸ When Asa heard these words as well as the prophecy of the prophet Oded, he took courage and removed the abominations from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns that he had seized in the hill country of Ephraim. He also repaired Adonai’s altar that was in front of Adonai’s entryway. ⁹ He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, as well as those dwelling with them from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon—for many had defected to him from Israel when they saw that Adonai his God was with him. ¹⁰ So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹ On that day they sacrificed to Adonai 700 bulls and 7,000 sheep from the spoil that they had brought. ¹² They entered into a covenant to seek Adonai, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. ¹³ Whoever would not seek Adonai, God of Israel, would be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. ¹⁴ They also made an oath to Adonai with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with shofarot. ¹⁵ All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their will and He was found by them. Then Adonai gave them rest all around. ¹⁶ He also deposed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from being queen because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her abominable image, crushed it and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

¹⁷ Though the high places were not removed from Israel, still Asa’s heart was completely committed to Adonai all his days. ¹⁸ He brought into the House of God his father’s consecrated articles, as well as his consecrated articles of silver and gold, and utensils. ¹⁹ So there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

Asa Backslides

16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasa of Israel marched against Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from leaving or coming to King Asa of Judah.

² In response, Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the House of Adonai and from the royal palace, and sent them to King Ben-hadad of Aram who lived in Damascus saying, ³ “Let there be a covenant between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with King Baasha of Israel so that he may withdraw from me.”

⁴ So Ben-hadad consented to King Asa’s request and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. They ravaged Ijon, Dan, Abelmaim and all the storage cities of Naphtali. ⁵ When Baasa heard, he stopped building Ramah and stopped his work. ⁶ Then King Asa took up all of Judah to carry away the stones of Ramah and the timber with which Baasa had been building—with them he fortified Geba and Mizpah.

⁷ At that time the seer Hanani came to King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you have depended on the king of Aram, and not depended on Adonai your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. ⁸ Were not the Cushites and the Libyans a mighty army with many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on Adonai, He delivered them into your hand. ⁹ For the eyes of Adonai range throughtout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are wholly His. You have acted foolishly in this matter. Indeed, from now on you will have wars.”

¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the prison for he was enraged at him for this. Also Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time. ¹¹ Behold, the acts of Asa, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

¹² Now in the thirty-nineth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet. His illness was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek Adonai but physicians.

¹³ Finally Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ He was buried in his own tomb, which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David. They laid him in his resting place, which was filled with sweet spices and various blended perfumes and they made a very large fire for him.

Jehosaphat Restores Judah to Torah

17 Jehoshaphat his son became king in his place and took firm hold of his position against Israel. ² He stationed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons throughout the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.

³ Adonai was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baalim ⁴ but sought the God of his father, and walked in His mitzvot rather than the deeds of Israel. ⁵ So Adonai established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat so that he had great riches and honor. ⁶ His heart was devoted to the ways of Adonai. Furthermore he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.

⁷ Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah—to teach in the towns of Judah. ⁸ With them were the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-adonijah and with them Elishama and Jehoram the kohanim. ⁹ They taught throughout Judah, having with them a Torah scroll of Adonai. They went throughout all the towns of Judah and taught the people.

¹⁰ Now the fear of Adonai fell on all the kingdoms of the lands around Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute. The Arabs also brought him flocks—7,700 rams and 7,700 he-goats.

¹² So Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful. He built forts and storage cities in Judah ¹³ and carried out extensive work in the cities of Judah. He had men of war, valiant warriors, in Jerusalem.

¹⁴ These were their appointees according to their clans. From Judah, captains of thousands: Adnah the commander with 300,000 valiant warriors; ¹⁵ and next to him Jehohanan the commander with 280,000; ¹⁶ and next to him, Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself to Adonai with 200,000 valiant warriors.

¹⁷ From Benjamin: Eliada a valiant warrior with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸ and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 equipped for war.

¹⁹ These were the men who served the king besides those whom the king stationed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.