2 Chronicles 13

Listen to 2 Chronicles 13

Abijah Reigns in Judah

1 1In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, 2Abijah began to reign over Judah.
2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was 3Micaiah[a] the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. 4Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3 Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam 5drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors.
4 Then Abijah stood up on Mount 6Zemaraim that is in 7the hill country of Ephraim and said, "Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!
5 Ought you not to know that the LORD God of Israel 8gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by 9a covenant of salt?
6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up 10and rebelled against his lord,
7 and certain 11worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was 12young and irresolute[b] and could not withstand them.
8 "And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you 13the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods.
9 14Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes 15for ordination[c] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are 16no gods.
10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the LORD who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service.
11 They offer to the LORD 17every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out 18the showbread on the table of pure gold, 19and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may 20burn every evening. For we 21keep the charge of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken him.
12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests 22with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, 23do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed."
13 Jeroboam had sent 24an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops[d] were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. 25And they cried to the LORD, and the priests 26blew the trumpets.
15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, 27God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, 28and God gave them into their hand.
17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men.
18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, 29because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.
19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam 30and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and 31Ephron[e] with its villages.
20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. 32And the LORD struck him down, 33and he died.
21 But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the 34story of the prophet 35Iddo.

Cross References 35

  • 1. 1 Kings 15:1, 2
  • 2. [See 2 Chronicles 12:16 above]
  • 3. [2 Chronicles 11:20]
  • 4. 1 Kings 15:7
  • 5. 2 Chronicles 14:10; Judges 20:22; 1 Samuel 17:2
  • 6. Joshua 18:22
  • 7. See Joshua 24:33
  • 8. 2 Sam. 7:12, 13, 16
  • 9. Numbers 18:19
  • 10. 1 Kings 11:26; 1 Kings 12:19, 20
  • 11. See Judges 9:4
  • 12. [2 Chronicles 12:13; 1 Kings 14:21]
  • 13. See 1 Kings 12:28
  • 14. 2 Chronicles 11:14, 15
  • 15. 2 Chronicles 29:31
  • 16. Jeremiah 5:7
  • 17. 2 Chronicles 2:4
  • 18. See Leviticus 24:5-9
  • 19. See Exodus 25:31-39
  • 20. Exodus 27:20, 21; Leviticus 24:2-4
  • 21. Numbers 1:53
  • 22. Numbers 10:9
  • 23. [Acts 5:39]
  • 24. [Joshua 8:9]
  • 25. 2 Chronicles 14:11
  • 26. [See ver. 12 above]
  • 27. 2 Chronicles 14:12
  • 28. 2 Chronicles 16:8
  • 29. [2 Chronicles 14:11; 2 Chronicles 16:7, 8]
  • 30. [2 Chronicles 15:8; 2 Chronicles 17:2]
  • 31. [Joshua 15:9]
  • 32. 1 Samuel 25:38
  • 33. 1 Kings 14:20
  • 34. 2 Chronicles 24:27
  • 35. 2 Chronicles 9:29; 2 Chronicles 12:15

Footnotes 5

2 Chronicles 13 Commentaries

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.