4
Then Abijah stood up on Mount
1Zemaraim that is in
2the 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
3gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by
4a covenant of salt?
6
Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up
5and rebelled against his lord,
7
and certain
6worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was
7young and irresolute 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
8the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods.
9
9Have 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
10for ordination with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are
11no 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
12every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out
13the showbread on the table of pure gold,
14and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may
15burn every evening. For we
16keep the charge of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken him.
12
Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests
17with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel,
18do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed."