Old/New Testament

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.

Miriam Anoints the Messiah

12 Six days before Passover, Yeshua came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Yeshua had raised from the dead. ² So they prepared a dinner there for Yeshua. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. ³ Then Miriam took a pound^[a] of very expensive oil of pure nard and anointed Yeshua’s feet, and she wiped His feet dry with her hair. Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

⁴ But Judah from Kriot, one of His disciples, the one who was about to betray Him, said, ⁵ “Why wasn’t this oil sold for three hundred denarii^[b] and the money given to the poor?” ⁶ Now he said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. Since he had the moneybox, he used to steal from what was put in it.

⁷ Therefore Yeshua said, “Leave her alone! She set it aside for the day of My burial. ⁸ You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me.”

⁹ Now a large crowd of Judeans knew He was there and came, not only for Yeshua but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the ruling kohanim made plans to kill Lazarus also, ¹¹ because on account of him many of the Jewish people were going and putting their trust in Yeshua.

Israel’s King Has Come

¹² The next day, the huge crowd that had come up for the feast heard that Yeshua was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³ So they took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting,

¹⁴ Finding a young donkey, Yeshua sat on it, as it is written,

¹⁶ His disciples did not understand these things at first. But when Yeshua was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that the crowd had done these things for Him.

¹⁷ So the crowd, which had been with Yeshua when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, kept on telling everyone about it. ¹⁸ It was also for this reason that the crowd came out to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to each other, “You see that you can’t do anything. Look, the whole world has taken off after Him!”

Fallen Seed Produces a Harvest

²⁰ Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast. ²¹ These came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in the Galilee. “Sir,” they said, “we want to see Yeshua.” ²² Philip comes and tells Andrew; Andrew and Philip come and tell Yeshua.

²³ Yeshua answers them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified! ²⁴ Amen, amen I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. ²⁵ He who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it forever. ²⁶ If any man serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there also will My servant be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.