4
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel, hear me.
5
Don't you know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?
6
But Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.
7
Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young, inexperienced, and unable to assert himself against them.
8
"And now you are saying you can assert yourselves against the Lord's kingdom in the hand of [one of] David's sons. You are a vast multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.
9
Didn't you banish the priests of the Lord, the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and make your own priests like the peoples of [other] lands do? Whoever comes to ordain himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.
10
"But as for us, the Lord is our God. We have not abandoned Him; the priests ministering to the Lord are descendants of Aaron, and the Levites [serve] at their tasks.
11
They offer a burnt offering and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and every evening, and [they set] the rows of the bread [of the Presence] on the ceremonially clean table. They light the lamps of the gold lampstand every evening. We are carrying out the requirements of the Lord our God, while you have abandoned Him.
12
Look, God and His priests are with us at our head. The trumpets are ready to sound the charge against you. Israelites, don't fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed."