2 Chronicles 13–14

Abijah Reigns over Judah

¹³In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.^{* 2}He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.^{* 3}Abijah engaged in battle, having an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand picked men; and Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with eight hundred thousand picked mighty warriors. ⁴Then Abijah stood on the slope of Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!^{* 5}Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?^{* 6}Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord,^{* 7}and certain worthless scoundrels gathered around him and defied Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young and irresolute and could not withstand them.

⁸“And now you think that you can withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made as gods for you.^{* 9}Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the descendants of Aaron, and the Levites and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to be consecrated with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are no gods.^{* 10}But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not abandoned him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are descendants of Aaron and Levites for their service. ¹¹They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and fragrant incense, set out the rows of bread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand so that its lamps may burn every evening, for we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have abandoned him.^{* 12}See, God is with us at our head, and his priests have their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O Israelites, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you cannot succeed.”^*

¹³Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come on them from behind; thus his troops^a were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴When Judah turned, the battle was in front of them and behind them. They cried out to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets.^{* 15}Then the people of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the people of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.^{* 16}The Israelites fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hands.^{* 17}Abijah and his army defeated them with great slaughter; five hundred thousand picked men of Israel fell slain. ¹⁸Thus the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the people of Judah prevailed because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.^{* 19}Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron^b with its villages. ²⁰Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah; the Lord struck him down, and he died.^{* 21}But Abijah strengthened himself. He took fourteen wives and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. ²²The rest of the acts of Abijah, his behavior and his deeds, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.^*

Asa Reigns

^14cSo Abijah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. His son Asa succeeded him. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.^{* 2d}Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God. ³He took away the foreign altars and the high places, broke down the pillars, cut down the sacred poles,^{e* 4}and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to keep the law and the commandment. ⁵He also removed from all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom was quiet under him.^{* 6}He built fortified cities in Judah while the land was quiet. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him rest.^{* 7}He said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars; the land is still ours because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. ⁸Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah armed with large shields and spears and two hundred eighty thousand troops from Benjamin who carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty warriors.

Ethiopian Invasion Repulsed

⁹Zerah the Cushite came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots and came as far as Mareshah.^{* 10}Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ¹¹Asa cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is no difference for you between helping the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let no mortal prevail against you.”^{* 12}So the Lord defeated the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled.^{* 13}Asa and the army with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Cushites fell until no one remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The people of Judah^f carried away a great quantity of spoil.^{* 14}They defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord was on them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.^{* 15}They also attacked the tents of those who had livestock^g and carried away sheep and goats in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.