Old/New Testament

Ahijah’s Prophecy Against Jeroboam

14 At that time Abijah became sick. He was the son of Jeroboam. ² Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go. Put on some different clothes. Then no one will recognize you as my wife. Go to Shiloh. That’s where Ahijah the prophet is. He told me I would be king over the Israelites. ³ Take ten loaves of bread with you. Take some cakes and a jar of honey. Go to him. He’ll tell you what will happen to our son.” ⁴ So Jeroboam’s wife did what he said. She went to Ahijah’s house in Shiloh.

Ahijah couldn’t see. He was blind because he was so old. ⁵ But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming. Her son is sick. She’ll ask you about him. Give her the answer I give you. When she arrives, she’ll pretend to be someone else.”

⁶ Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door. He said, “Come in. I know that you are Jeroboam’s wife. Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have some bad news for you. ⁷ Go. Tell Jeroboam that the Lord has a message for him. The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, ‘I chose you from among the people. I appointed you king over my people Israel. ⁸ I tore the kingdom away from the royal house of David. I gave it to you. But you have not been like my servant David. He obeyed my commands. He followed me with all his heart. He did only what was right in my eyes. ⁹ You have done more evil things than all those who lived before you. You have made other gods for yourself. You have made statues of gods out of metal. You have made me very angry. You have turned your back on me.

¹⁰ “ ‘Because of that, I am going to bring horrible trouble on your royal house. I will cut off from you every male in Israel. It does not matter whether they are slaves or free. I will burn up your royal house, just as someone burns up trash. I will burn it until it is all gone. ¹¹ Some of the people who belong to you will die in the city. Dogs will eat them up. Others will die in the country. The birds will eat them. The Lord has spoken!’

¹² “Now go back home. When you enter your city, your son will die. ¹³ All the Israelites will mourn for him. Then he will be buried. He is the only one who belongs to Jeroboam who will be buried. That is because he is the only one in Jeroboam’s royal house in whom I have found anything good. I am the Lord, the God of Israel.

¹⁴ “I will choose for myself a king over Israel. He will destroy the family of Jeroboam. This day your son will die. Even now this is beginning to happen. ¹⁵ I, the Lord, will strike down Israel. Israel will be like tall grass swaying in the water. I will pull Israel up from this good land by the roots. I gave it to their people who lived long ago. I will scatter Israel to the east side of the Euphrates River. That is because they made the Lord very angry. They made poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. ¹⁶ I will give Israel up because of the sins Jeroboam has committed. He has also caused Israel to commit those same sins.”

¹⁷ Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and left. She went to the city of Tirzah. As soon as she stepped through the doorway of the house, her son died. ¹⁸ He was buried and all the Israelites mourned for him. That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had said it through his servant, Ahijah the prophet.

¹⁹ The other events of Jeroboam’s rule are written down. His wars and how he ruled are written down. They are written in the official records of the kings of Israel. ²⁰ Jeroboam ruled for 22 years. Then he joined the members of his family who had already died. Jeroboam’s son Nadab became the next king after him.

Rehoboam King of Judah

²¹ Rehoboam was king in Judah. He was the son of Solomon. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king. He ruled for 17 years in Jerusalem. It was the city the Lord had chosen out of all the cities in the tribes of Israel. He wanted to put his Name there. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah from Ammon.

²² The people of Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. The sins they had committed made the Lord angry. The Lord was angry because they refused to worship only him. They did more to make him angry than their people who lived before them had done. ²³ Judah also set up for themselves high places for worship. They set up sacred stones. They set up poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. They did it on every high hill and under every green tree. ²⁴ There were even male prostitutes at the temples in the land. The people took part in all the practices of other nations. The Lord hated those practices. He had driven those nations out to make room for the Israelites.

²⁵ Shishak attacked Jerusalem. It was in the fifth year that Rehoboam was king. Shishak was king of Egypt. ²⁶ He carried away the treasures of the Lord’s temple. He also carried away the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything. That included all the gold shields Solomon had made. ²⁷ So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to take their place. He gave them to the commanders of the guards on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. ²⁸ Every time the king went to the Lord’s temple, the guards carried the shields. Later, they took them back to the room where they were kept.

²⁹ The other events of Rehoboam’s rule are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah. ³⁰ Rehoboam and Jeroboam were always at war with each other. ³¹ Rehoboam joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in his family tomb in the City of David. His mother was Naamah from Ammon. Rehoboam’s son Abijah became the next king after him.

Abijah King of Judah

15 Abijah became king of Judah. It was in the 18th year of Jeroboam’s rule over Israel. Jeroboam was the son of Nebat. ² Abijah ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mother’s name was Maakah. She was Abishalom’s daughter.

³ Abijah committed all the sins his father had committed before him. Abijah didn’t obey the Lord his God with all his heart. He didn’t do what King David had done. ⁴ But the Lord still kept the lamp of Abijah’s kingdom burning brightly in Jerusalem. He did it by giving him a son to be the next king after him. He also did it by making Jerusalem strong. The Lord did those things because of David. ⁵ David had done what was right in the sight of the Lord. He had kept all the Lord’s commands. He had obeyed them all the days of his life. But he hadn’t obeyed the Lord in the case of Uriah, the Hittite.

⁶ There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam all through Abijah’s life. ⁷ The other events of Abijah’s rule are written down. Everything he did is written down. All these things are written in the official records of the kings of Judah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ⁸ Abijah joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in the City of David. Abijah’s son Asa became the next king after him.

Asa King of Judah

⁹ Asa became king of Judah. It was in the 20th year that Jeroboam was king of Israel. ¹⁰ Asa ruled in Jerusalem for 41 years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah. She was Abishalom’s daughter.

¹¹ Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord. That’s what King David had done. ¹² Asa threw out of the land the male prostitutes who were at the temples. He got rid of all the statues of gods made by his people of long ago. ¹³ He even removed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother. That’s because she had made a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. The Lord hated it. So Asa cut it down. He burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ Asa didn’t remove the high places from Israel. But he committed his whole life completely to the Lord. ¹⁵ He and his father had set apart silver, gold and other things to the Lord. Asa brought them into the Lord’s temple.

¹⁶ There was war between Asa and Baasha, the king of Israel. It lasted the whole time they were kings. ¹⁷ Baasha was king of Israel. He marched out against Judah. Baasha built up the walls of Ramah. He did it to keep people from leaving or entering the territory of Asa, the king of Judah.

¹⁸ Asa took all the silver and gold left among the treasures of the Lord’s temple and his own palace. He put his officials in charge of it. He sent the officials to Ben-Hadad. Ben-Hadad was king of Aram. He was ruling in Damascus. He was the son of Tabrimmon and the grandson of Hezion. ¹⁹ “Let’s make a peace treaty between us,” Asa said. “My father and your father had made a peace treaty between them. Now I’m sending you a gift of silver and gold. So break your treaty with Baasha, the king of Israel. Then he’ll go back home.”

²⁰ Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa. He sent his army commanders against the towns of Israel. He captured Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah and the whole area of Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali. ²¹ Baasha heard about it. So he stopped building up Ramah. He went back home to Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa gave an order to all the men of Judah. Everyone was required to help. They carried away from Ramah the stones and wood Baasha had been using there. King Asa used them to build up Geba in the territory of Benjamin. He also used them to build up Mizpah.

²³ All the other events of Asa’s rule are written down, including the cities he built. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah. But when Asa became old, his feet began to give him trouble. ²⁴ He joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in his family tomb. It was in the city of King David. Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became the next king after him.

Nadab King of Israel

²⁵ Nadab became king of Israel. It was in the second year that Asa was king of Judah. Nadab ruled over Israel for two years. He was the son of Jeroboam. ²⁶ Nadab did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He lived the way his father had lived. He committed the same sin his father Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

²⁷ Baasha was from the tribe of Issachar. He was the son of Ahijah. Baasha made plans against Nadab and struck him down at Gibbethon. It was a Philistine town. Baasha struck him down while Nadab and all the men of Israel were getting ready to attack Gibbethon. ²⁸ He killed Nadab in the third year that Asa was king of Judah. Baasha became the next king after Nadab.

²⁹ As soon as Baasha became king, he killed Jeroboam’s whole family. He didn’t leave any of them alive. He destroyed every one of them. He did what the Lord had said would happen. The Lord had spoken that message through his servant Ahijah from Shiloh. ³⁰ The Lord judged Jeroboam’s family because of the sins Jeroboam had committed. He had also caused Israel to commit those same sins. He had made the Lord very angry. The Lord is the God of Israel.

³¹ The other events of Nadab’s rule are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. ³² There was war between Asa and Baasha, the king of Israel. It lasted the whole time they were kings.

Baasha King of Israel

³³ Baasha became king of Israel in Tirzah. It was in the third year that Asa was king of Judah. Baasha ruled for 24 years. He was the son of Ahijah. ³⁴ Baasha did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He lived the way Jeroboam had lived. He committed the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

³¹ “Simon, Simon! Satan has asked to sift all of you disciples like wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon. I have prayed that your faith will not fail. When you have turned back, help your brothers to be strong.”

³³ But Simon replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

³⁴ Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, you will say three times that you don’t know me. And you will do it before the rooster crows today.”

³⁵ Then Jesus asked the disciples, “Did you need anything when I sent you without a purse, bag or sandals?”

“Nothing,” they answered.

³⁶ He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it. And also take a bag. If you don’t have a sword, sell your coat and buy one. ³⁷ It is written, ‘He was counted among those who had committed crimes.’ (Isaiah 53:12) I tell you that what is written about me must come true. Yes, it is already coming true.”

³⁸ The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”

“Two swords are enough!” he replied.

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

³⁹ Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives. His disciples followed him. ⁴⁰ When they reached the place, Jesus spoke. “Pray that you won’t fall into sin when you are tempted,” he said to them. ⁴¹ Then he went a short distance away from them. There he got down on his knees and prayed. ⁴² He said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup of suffering away from me. But do what you want, not what I want.” ⁴³ An angel from heaven appeared to Jesus and gave him strength. ⁴⁴ Because he was very sad and troubled, he prayed even harder. His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

⁴⁵ After that, he got up from prayer and went back to the disciples. He found them sleeping. They were worn out because they were very sad. ⁴⁶ “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up! Pray that you won’t fall into sin when you are tempted.”