2 Chronicles 13–14

Abijah and Civil War

13In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah reigned over Judah. ²He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.

Now there was war between Abijah and between Jeroboam. ³And Abijah joined in the battle with an army of four hundred thousand battle-hardened warriors,^a chosen men, and Jeroboam put the battle in order against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, an army of mighty warriors.

⁴Then Abijah stood up on top of Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! ⁵Do you not all know that Yahweh the God of Israel gave the kingdom to David over Israel forever, to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? ⁶But Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master, ⁷and worthless men, sons of wickedness,^b were gathered about him and became hostile against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was a boy and gentle of heart and was not strong enough to stand before them. ⁸So now you yourselves are considering that you are strong before the kingdom of Yahweh which is in the hand of the sons of David, since you yourselves are a great multitude and you have bull calves of gold that Jeroboam has made for idols. ⁹Did you not drive out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, the Levites? Have you not made for yourselves priests like all the peoples of the lands? All who come to be consecrated for priestly service^c with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what is not a god. ¹⁰But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests serving Yahweh are the sons of Aaron, the Levites, according to their service. ¹¹They offer burnt offerings to Yahweh every morning^d and every evening,^e sweet spices of incense, and the rows of bread upon the pure table. And the golden lampstand with its lamps they keep kindled every evening,^f for we are keeping the requirement of Yahweh our God, but you yourselves have forsaken him. ¹²And look, God is with us at the head, and his priests have the trumpets for sounding blasts against you, O sons of Israel. Do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,^g for you will not succeed.”

¹³Then Jeroboam sent around an ambush to come behind them. So they were in front of Judah, but the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴When Judah turned, then behold, the battle against them was in front and behind, and they cried to Yahweh, and the priests blew on the trumpets. ¹⁵Then the men of Judah shouted, and it happened that when the men of Judah were shouting, then God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶And the Israelites^h fled from before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. ¹⁷And Abijah and his people struck a great blow against them, and the dead from Israel that fell were five hundred thousand chosen men. ¹⁸And the Israelitesⁱ were subdued at that time, and the people^j of Judah were victorious, for they relied upon Yahweh the God of their ancestors.^k

¹⁹And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. ²⁰And Jeroboam did not regain strength again in the days of Abijah. And Yahweh plagued him and he died. ²¹But Abijah became strong, and he took to himself fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. ²²Now the rest of the words of Abijah and his ways and his words are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

The Reign of Asa in Judah

14^a And Abijah slept with his ancestors,^b and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son became king in his place. In his days the land was at rest ten years. ²Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God. ³He removed the foreign altars and high places, broke down the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherahs. ⁴And he commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,^c and to keep the law and the commandment. ⁵And he removed the high places and the incense stands from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom had rest under^d him. ⁶And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was at rest. Under^e him there was no war in those years, for Yahweh had given rest to him. ⁷And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars while the land is before us, because we have sought Yahweh our God. We have sought and he has given rest to us on every side.” So they built and had success. ⁸And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah, bearing shields and spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin who carried shields and drew bows. All of these were mighty warriors of strength.

⁹Zerah the Cushite came out against them with an army of a thousand thousands and three hundred chariots. And he came to Mareshah. ¹⁰And Asa went out before him, and a battle was put in order in the valley of Zepah at Mareshah.

¹¹Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God. And he said, “O Yahweh, there is none with you to help between the great and the powerless. Help us, O Yahweh our God, for we rely upon you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Yahweh, you are our God! Let no man prevail against you!”

¹²So Yahweh defeated the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled. ¹³Then Asa and the army^f with him pursued them to Gerar. And many from the Cushites fell, for they had no deliverance, for they were shattered before Yahweh and before his army. And they carried away much war booty. ¹⁴And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of Yahweh was upon them. And they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. ¹⁵And they also struck the tents of the herdsmen and carried away many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.