Chapter 13

Abijah Succeeds Rehoboam

1 aIn the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah.

2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

aNow there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

3 Abijah began the battle with an army of valiant warriors, 400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam drew up in battle formation against him with 800,000 chosen men who were valiant warriors.

Civil War

4 Then Abijah stood on Mount aZemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel:

5 “Do you not know that athe Lord God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David 1and his sons by ba covenant of salt?

6 “Yet aJeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his 1master,

7 and worthless men gathered about him, scoundrels, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, when 1ahe was young and timid and could not hold his own against them.

8 “So now you intend to resist the kingdom of the Lord 1through the sons of David, 2being a great multitude and having with you athe golden calves which Jeroboam made for gods for you.

9 “aHave you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes bto consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams, even he may become a priest of what are cno gods.

10 “But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the sons of Aaron are ministering to the Lord as priests, and the Levites 1attend to their work.

11 “Every morning and evening athey 1burn to the Lord burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and bthe showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening; for we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him.

12 “Now behold, God is with us at our head and aHis priests with the signal trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”

13 But Jeroboam ahad set an ambush to come from the rear, so that Israel was in front of Judah and the ambush was behind them.

14 When Judah turned around, behold, 1they were attacked both front and rear; so athey cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets.

15 Then the men of Judah raised a war cry, and when the men of Judah raised the war cry, then it was that God 1arouted Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

16 When the sons of Israel fled before Judah, aGod gave them into their hand.

17 Abijah and his people defeated them with a great slaughter, so that 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain.

18 Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah 1conquered abecause they trusted in the Lord, the God of their fathers.

19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured from him several cities, Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages and 1Ephron with its villages.

Death of Jeroboam

20 Jeroboam did not again recover strength in the days of Abijah; and the aLord struck him and bhe died.

21 But Abijah became powerful; and took fourteen wives to himself, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his words are written in athe 1treatise of bthe prophet Iddo.