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2 Chronicles 13

Abijah Reigns in Judah

1 ^aIn the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam ^bAbijah began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was ^cMicaiah ^{▼

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Spelled Maacah in 1 Kings 15:2} the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

^eNow there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam ^fdrew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. 4 Then Abijah stood up on Mount ^gZemaraim that is in ^hthe hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel ⁱgave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by ^ja covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up ^kand rebelled against his lord, 7 and certain ^lworthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was ^myoung and irresolute ^{▼

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Hebrew soft of heart} and could not withstand them.

8 “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you ^othe golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. 9 ^pHave you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes ^qfor ordination ^{▼

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Hebrew to fill his hand} with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are ^sno gods. 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. 11 They offer to the Lord ^tevery morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out ^uthe showbread on the table of pure gold, ^vand care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may ^wburn every evening. For we ^xkeep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests ^ywith their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel ^zdo not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.”

13 Jeroboam had sent ^aaan ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops ^{▼

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Hebrew they} were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. ^acAnd they cried to the Lord, and the priests ^adblew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, ^aeGod defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, ^afand God gave them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, ^agbecause they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam ^ahand took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and ^aiEphron ^{▼

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Or Ephrain} with its villages. 20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. ^akAnd the Lord struck him down ^aland he died. 21 But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the ^amstory of the prophet ^anIddo.