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

³Abijah committed all of the sins his father had committed before him. Abijah didn’t follow the Lord his God with all his heart. He didn’t do what King David had done.

⁴But 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. ⁵David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He had kept all of 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.

⁶There was war between Jeroboam and Abijah’s father Rehoboam. The war continued all through Abijah’s life. ⁷The other events of Abijah’s rule are written down. Everything he did is written down. All of those things are written in the official records of the kings of Judah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

⁸Abijah joined the members of his family who had already died. His body was buried in the City of David. His son Asa became the next king after him.

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