Abijah Reigns in Judah
1 Inthe eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king overJudah.
2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasMichaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3 Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.
4 Then Abijah stood on MountZemaraim, whichisin the mountains of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
5 Should you not know that theLordGod of Israelgave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons,by a covenant of salt?
6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up andrebelled against his lord.
7 Thenworthless rogues gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam wasyoung and inexperienced and could not withstand them.
8 And now you think to withstand the kingdom of theLord, which is in the hand of the sons of David; and youarea great multitude, and with you are the gold calves which Jeroboammade for you as gods.
9 Have you not cast out the priests of theLord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples ofotherlands,so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest ofthingsthatarenot gods?
10 But as for us, theLordisourGod, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to theLordarethe sons of Aaron, and the Levitesattendtotheirduties.
11 And they burn to theLordevery morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense;theyalsosettheshowbreadinorderonthe puregoldtable, and the lampstand of gold with its lampsto burn every evening; for we keep the command of theLordour God, but you have forsaken Him.
12 Now look, God Himself is with us asourhead,and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against theLordGod of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambushwasbehind them.
14 And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle linewasat both front and rear; and theycried out to theLord, and the priests sounded the trumpets.
15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that Godstruck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand.
17 Then Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain.
18 Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed,because they relied on theLordGod of their fathers.
19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, andEphrain with its villages.
20 So Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and theLordstruck him, andhe died.
21 But Abijah grew mighty, married fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayingsarewritten inthe annals of the prophet Iddo.