Old/New Testament

Abijah King of Judah

13 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. ² He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah,^[a] the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.^[b]

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³ Abijah got ready for battle with an army of four hundred thousand strong warriors, each man specially chosen.^[c] Jeroboam lined up for battle against him with eight hundred thousand strong warriors, each man specially chosen.

⁴ Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and said this to them:

¹³ However, Jeroboam had set up an ambush to come around them from behind. So the main enemy forces were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ When Judah turned and saw that the battle line was in front of them and behind them, they cried out to the Lord while the priests kept blowing the trumpets.

¹⁵ The men of Judah raised a battle cry. When they raised the battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ The men of Israel fled from Judah, and God gave them into their hand. ¹⁷ Abijah and his people inflicted very heavy casualties on them. Five hundred thousand specially chosen men of Israel fell in battle.

¹⁸ So the men of Israel were subdued at that time. The men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. ¹⁹ Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took these cities from him: Bethel and its villages, Jeshanah and its villages, and Ephron and its villages. ²⁰ Jeroboam never recovered his power during the days of Abijah. Then the Lord struck Jeroboam, and he died.

²¹ But Abijah grew strong. He took for himself fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

²² The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his words, are written in the notes of the prophet Iddo.

14 Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa became king in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.^[d]

Asa King of Judah

² Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. ³ He removed the foreign altars and the high places. He demolished the sacred memorial stones and chopped down the Asherah poles. ⁴ He told Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to obey his law and command. ⁵ He removed the high places and the sun pillars^[e] from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom enjoyed peace and quiet under him.

⁶ He built fortified cities in Judah because the land was quiet. He had no wars in those years because the Lord gave him rest.

⁷ Asa said to Judah, “We will build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, and barred gates. The land before us is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We sought him, and he has given us peace all around.”

So they built and prospered.

⁸ Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, who carried large shields and spears, and two hundred eighty thousand men from Benjamin, who carried shields and were armed with bows. These were all strong, powerful warriors.

⁹ Zerah the Cushite^[f] came out against them with an army of a million^[g] men and three hundred chariots and advanced as far as Mareshah. ¹⁰ Asa went out to confront him, and they formed battle lines in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

¹¹ Asa cried to the Lord his God, “Lord, there is no one except you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, because we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this horde.^[h] Lord, you are our God. Men will not prevail against you.”

¹² The Lord defeated the Cushites before Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled. ¹³ Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell until none of them were left alive, because they were broken before the Lord and before his army, who carried away a large amount of plunder. ¹⁴ They struck all the cities around Gerar, because the dread of the Lord was upon them. They looted all the cities because there was a great deal of plunder in them. ¹⁵ Also they struck the tents of the herdsmen and carried off very many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Mary Anoints Jesus

12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, who had died, the one Jesus raised from the dead. ² They gave a dinner for him there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him.

³ Then Mary took about twelve ounces^[a] of very expensive perfume (pure nard) and anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

⁴ But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray him, said, ⁵ “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii^[b] and given to the poor?” ⁶ He did not say this because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief. He held the money box and used to steal what was put into it.

⁷ Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She intended to keep this for the day of my burial. ⁸ Indeed, the poor you always have with you, but you are not always going to have me.”

⁹ A large crowd of the Jews learned that he was there. They came not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus too, ¹¹ because it was on account of him that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.

The King Comes to Jerusalem

¹² The next day, the large crowd that had come for the Festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³ Taking palm branches, they went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!”^[c]

¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written:

¹⁶ At first, his disciples did not understand these things. But when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they did these things for him.

¹⁷ The crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead kept telling what they had seen. ¹⁸ This is another reason a crowd met him: They heard he had done this miraculous sign.

¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see? You are accomplishing nothing. Look! The world has gone after him.”

Death and Glory

²⁰ Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went to tell Andrew. Andrew came with Philip and told Jesus.

²³ Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it continues to be one kernel. But if it dies, it produces much grain. ²⁵ Anyone who loves his life destroys it. And the one who hates his life in this world will hold on to it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.