New King James Version (NKJV)

1 Soall the work that Solomon had done for the house of theLordwas finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings. And he putthemin the treasuries of the house of God.

The Ark Brought into the Temple

2 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the ark of the covenant of theLordupfrom the City of David, whichisZion.

3 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with the kingat the feast, whichwasin the seventh month.

4 So all the elders of Israel came, and theLevites took up the ark.

5 Then they brought up the ark, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings thatwerein the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up.

6 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.

7 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of theLordto its place, into theinner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most HolyPlace,under the wings of the cherubim.

8 For the cherubim spreadtheirwings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.

9 The poles extended so that the ends of thepoles of the ark could be seen fromtheholyplace,in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day.

10 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets which Mosesputthereat Horeb, when theLordmadeacovenantwith the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt.

11 And it came to pass when the priests came out of theMostHolyPlace(for all the priests whowerepresent had sanctified themselves, without keeping to theirdivisions),

12 and the Leviteswhowerethe singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps,and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets—

13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singerswereas one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking theLord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised theLord,saying:

# “For He isgood,

For His mercyenduresforever,”

that the house, the house of theLord, was filled with a cloud,

14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud;for the glory of theLordfilled the house of God.

1 ThenSolomon spoke:

# “TheLordsaid He would dwell in thedark cloud.

2 I have surely built You an exalted house,

# Anda place for You to dwell in forever.”

Solomon’s Speech upon Completion of the Work

3 Then the king turned around andblessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.

4 And he said: “BlessedbetheLordGod of Israel, who has fulfilled with His handswhatHe spoke with His mouth to my father David,saying,

5 ‘Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israelinwhichto build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My people Israel.

6 Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and Ihave chosen David to be over My people Israel.’

7 Nowit was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of theLordGod of Israel.

8 But theLordsaid to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well in that it was in your heart.

9 Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for Myname.’

10 So theLordhas fulfilled His word which He spoke, and I have filled the position of my father David, andsit on the throne of Israel, as theLordpromised; and I have built the temple for the name of theLordGod of Israel.

11 And there I have put the ark,in whichisthe covenant of theLordwhich He made with the children of Israel.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

12 ThenSolomonstood before the altar of theLordin the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands

13 (for Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven);

14 and he said: “LordGod of Israel,thereisno God in heaven or on earth like You, who keepYourcovenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.

15 You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilleditwith Your hand, asitisthis day.

16 Therefore,LordGod of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying,‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel,only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’

17 And now, OLordGod of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David.

18 “But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth?Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!

19 Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, OLordmy God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You:

20 that Your eyes may beopen toward this temple day and night, toward the place whereYousaidYouwouldput Your name, that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makestoward this place.

21 And may You hear the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear,forgive.

22 “If anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take anoath, and comesandtakes an oath before Your altar in this temple,

23 then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to hisrighteousness.

24 “Or if Your people Israel are defeated before anenemy because they have sinned against You, and return and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this temple,

25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and their fathers.

26 “When theheavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them,

27 then hearinheaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

28 “When thereis famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whateversicknessthereis;

29 whatever prayer, whatever supplication ismadeby anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple:

30 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You aloneknow thehearts of the sons of men),

31 that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

32 “Moreover, concerning a foreigner,who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray in this temple;

33 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, asdoYour people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

34 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name,

35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

36 “When they sin against You (forthereisno one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take themcaptive to a land far or near;

37 yetwhen they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’;

38 andwhenthey return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, thecity which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name:

39 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.

40 Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes beopen andletYour earsbeattentive to the prayermadein this place.

41 “Now therefore,

# Arise, OLordGod, to Yourresting place,

You and the ark of Your strength.

Let Your priests, OLordGod, be clothed with salvation,

# And let Your saintsrejoice in goodness.

42 “OLordGod, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed;

# Remember the mercies of Your servant David.”

Solomon Dedicates the Temple

1 WhenSolomon had finished praying,fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; andthe glory of theLordfilled the temple.

2 And the priests could not enter the house of theLord, because the glory of theLordhad filled theLord’s house.

3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of theLordon the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised theLord,saying:

# “ForHeisgood,

# For His mercyenduresforever.”

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before theLord.

5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

6 And the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of theLord, which King David had made to praise theLord, saying, “For His mercyenduresforever,” whenever David offered praise by their ministry.The priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood.

7 FurthermoreSolomon consecrated the middle of the court thatwasin front of the house of theLord; for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.

8 At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assemblyfrom the entrance of Hamath tothe Brook of Egypt.

9 And on the eighth day they held asacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.

10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that theLordhad done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.

11 ThusSolomon finished the house of theLordand the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of theLordand in his own house.

God’s Second Appearance to Solomon

12 Then theLordappeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer,and have chosen thisplace for Myself as a house of sacrifice.

13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,

14 if My people who arecalled by My name willhumble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways,then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

15 NowMy eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayermadein this place.

16 For nowI have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments,

18 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying,‘You shall not failtohavea man as ruler in Israel.’

19 “But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them,

20 then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and abyword among all peoples.

21 “Andasforthis house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will beastonished and say,‘Why has theLorddone thus to this land and this house?’

22 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook theLordGod of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”

Solomon’s Additional Achievements

1 Itcame to pass at the end oftwenty years, when Solomon had built the house of theLordand his own house,

2 that the cities which Hiram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them; and he settled the children of Israel there.

3 And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it.

4 He also built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storage cities which he built inHamath.

5 He built Upper Beth Horon andLower Beth Horon, fortified citieswithwalls, gates, and bars,

6 also Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities and the cities of the cavalry, and all that Solomondesired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

7 All the peoplewhowereleft of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, whowerenot of Israel—

8 that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel did not destroy—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day.

9 But Solomon did not make the children of Israel servants for his work. Someweremen of war, captains of his officers, captains of his chariots, and his cavalry.

10 And otherswerechiefs of the officials of King Solomon:two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people.

11 Now Solomonbrought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, becausetheplacesto which the ark of theLordhas come are holy.”

12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to theLordon the altar of theLordwhich he had built before the vestibule,

13 according to thedaily rate, offering according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and thethree appointed yearlyfeasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

14 And, according to the order of David his father, he appointed thedivisions of the priests for their service,the Levites for their duties (to praise and serve before the priests) as the duty of each day required, and thegatekeepers by their divisions at each gate; for so David the man of God had commanded.

15 They did not depart from the command of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning thetreasuries.

16 Now all the work of Solomon was well-ordered from the day of the foundation of the house of theLorduntil it was finished. So the house of theLordwas completed.

17 Then Solomon went toEzion Geber and Elath on the seacoast, in the land of Edom.

18 And Hiram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, and servants who knew the sea. They went with the servants of Solomon toOphir, and acquired four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon

1 Nowwhen the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions,havinga very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.

2 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for Solomon that he could not explain it to her.

3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,

4 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, hiscupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of theLord, there was no more spirit in her.

5 Then she said to the king: “Itwasa true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.

6 However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard.

7 Happyareyour men and happyarethese your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!

8 Blessed be theLordyour God, who delighted in you, setting you on His thronetobeking for theLordyour God! Because your God hasloved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

9 And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there never were any spices such as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10 Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon,who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones.

11 And the king made walkwaysofthe algum wood for the house of theLordand for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none suchastheseseen before in the land of Judah.

12 Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked,muchmorethan she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

Solomon’s Great Wealth

13 The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

14 besideswhatthe traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundredshekelsof hammered gold went into each shield.

16 Healsomadethree hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundredshekelsof gold went into each shield. The king put them in theHouse of the Forest of Lebanon.

17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.

18 The thronehadsix steps, with a footstool of gold,whichwerefastened to the throne; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.

19 Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing likethishad been made for anyotherkingdom.

20 All King Solomon’s drinking vesselsweregold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanonwerepure gold. Notonewassilver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.

21 For the king’s ships went toTarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ships came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.

22 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

24 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments,armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.

25 Solomonhad four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.

26 So he reigned over all the kingsfrom the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.

27 The king made silverascommonin Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar treesas abundant as the sycamores whicharein the lowland.

28 And they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

Death of Solomon

29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last,arethey not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy ofAhijah the Shilonite, and in the visions ofIddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

31 Then Solomon rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

The Revolt Against Rehoboam

1 AndRehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.

2 So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heardit(he was in Egypt,where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam returned from Egypt.

3 Then they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

4 “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

5 So he said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” And the people departed.

6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “How do you advisemeto answer these people?”

7 And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

8 But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.

9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”

10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you makeitlighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My littlefingershall be thicker than my father’s waist!

11 And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but Iwillchastiseyouwith scourges!’ ”

12 SoJeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.”

13 Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders,

14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but Iwillchastiseyouwith scourges!”

15 So the king did not listen to the people;for the turnofeventswas from God, that theLordmight fulfill Hisword, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16 Now when all Israelsawthat the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:

“What share have we in David?

Wehaveno inheritance in the son of Jesse.

Every man to your tents, O Israel!

Now see to your own house, O David!”

So all Israel departed to their tents.

17 But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.

18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, whowasin charge of revenue; but the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mountedhischariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem.

19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

1 Nowwhen Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled from the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosenmenwho were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.

2 But the word of theLordcameto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

3 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,

4 ‘Thus says theLord: “You shall not go up or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.” ’ ” Therefore they obeyed the words of theLord, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.

Rehoboam Fortifies the Cities

5 So Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.

6 And he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

7 Beth Zur, Sochoh, Adullam,

8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,

9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and Benjamin, fortified cities.

11 And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine.

12 Also in every cityheputshields and spears, and made them very strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.

Priests and Levites Move to Judah

13 And from all their territories the priests and the Levites whowerein all Israel took their stand with him.

14 For the Levites lefttheir common-lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, forJeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to theLord.

15 Then he appointed for himself priests for the high places, forthe demons, andthe calf idols which he had made.

16 And aftertheLevitesleft,those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek theLordGod of Israel,came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to theLordGod of their fathers.

17 So theystrengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

The Family of Rehoboam

18 Then Rehoboam took for himself as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David,andofAbihail the daughter ofEliah the son of Jesse.

19 And she bore him children: Jeush, Shamariah, and Zaham.

20 After her he tookMaachah the granddaughter ofAbsalom; and she bore himAbijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

21 Now Rehoboam loved Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom more than all hiswives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

22 And RehoboamappointedAbijah the son of Maachah as chief,tobeleader among his brothers; for heintendedto make him king.

23 He dealt wisely, and dispersed some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, to everyfortified city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. He also sought many wivesforthem.

Egypt Attacks Judah

1 Nowit came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, thathe forsook the law of theLord, and all Israel along with him.

2 And it happened in the fifth year of King RehoboamthatShishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against theLord,

3 with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and people without number who came with him out of Egypt—the Lubim and the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians.

4 And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came to Jerusalem.

5 ThenShemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says theLord: ‘You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.’ ”

6 So the leaders of Israel and the kinghumbled themselves; and they said,“TheLordisrighteous.”

7 Now when theLordsaw that they humbled themselves,the word of theLordcame to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves;thereforeI will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

8 Neverthelessthey will be his servants, that they may distinguishMy service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations.”

9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of theLordand the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon hadmade.

10 Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committedthemto the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.

11 And whenever the king entered the house of theLord, the guard would go and bring them out; then they would take them back into the guardroom.

12 When he humbled himself, the wrath of theLordturned from him, so as not to destroyhimcompletely; and things also went well in Judah.

The End of Rehoboam’s Reign

13 Thus King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. NowRehoboamwasforty-one years old when he became king; and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem,the city which theLordhad chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother’s namewasNaamah, anAmmonitess.

14 And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek theLord.

15 The acts of Rehoboam, first and last,arethey not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet,and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies?Andtherewerewars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

16 So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. ThenAbijah his son reigned in his place.

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.

1 So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. ThenAsa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.

Asa Reigns in Judah

2 Asa didwhatwasgood and right in the eyes of theLordhis God,

3 for he removed the altars of the foreigngodsandthe high places, andbroke down thesacredpillarsand cut down the wooden images.

4 He commanded Judah toseek theLordGod of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.

5 He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him.

6 And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because theLordhad given himrest.

7 Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls aroundthem,and towers, gates, and bars,whilethe landisyet before us, because we have sought theLordour God; we have soughtHim,and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.

8 And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drewbows; all theseweremighty men ofvalor.

9 Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came toMareshah.

10 So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

11 And Asacried out to theLordhis God, and said, “Lord,itisnothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, OLordour God, for we rest on You, andin Your name we go against this multitude. OLord, Youareour God; do not let man prevail against You!”

12 So theLordstruck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.

13 And Asa and the people whowerewith him pursued them toGerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before theLordand His army. And they carried away very much spoil.

14 Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, forthe fear of theLordcame upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much spoil in them.

15 They also attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.