Parallel Bible results for "2 chronicles 13"

2 Chronicles 13

Common English Bible CEB

1 Abijah became king over Judah in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam.

2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Micaiah; she was Uriel's daughter from Gibeah. When war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam,

3 Abijah went to fight with an army of four hundred thousand select troops against Jeroboam's select forces numbering eight hundred thousand, who were arrayed in battle formation.

4 Abijah stood on the heights of Mount Zemaraim in Ephraim's highlands and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!

5 Surely you know that the LORD, Israel's God, made an unbreakable covenant with David and his descendants that they would rule Israel forever.

6 It was Jeroboam, Nebat's son, the servant of Solomon, David's son, who rebelled against his master.

7 When some useless, worthless people joined his cause, they overpowered Rehoboam, Solomon's son, who was too young and timid to resist them.

8 And now do you intend to challenge the LORD's royal rule, entrusted to David's descendants? You may have a numerical advantage, as well as the gold calves Jeroboam made for you as gods.

9 But you've banished the LORD's priests, Aaron's sons, along with the Levites, so that you could appoint your own priests as other countries do. Now anyone who shows up with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these phony gods!

10 "But us? The LORD is our God, and we haven't abandoned him. Aaron's descendants serve as the LORD's priests, assisted in the work by the Levites.

11 Every morning and every evening they offer entirely burned offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD, and set out bread in stacks upon a clean table. At night they light the lamps on the gold lampstand. Yes, while you are abandoning the LORD our God, we are doing what he requires.

12 Listen! God is on our side, at our head, along with his priests, who are ready to sound the battle trumpets against you. So, Israelites, don't fight against the LORD, the God of your ancestors, for you won't succeed!"

13 Meanwhile, Jeroboam had sent troops around behind them for an ambush so that the main force was in front of Judah while the ambush was behind.

14 When Judah looked around and suddenly realized that they were surrounded, they cried out to the LORD while the priests sounded the trumpets

15 and raised the battle cry. When they raised the battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

16 So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God gave Judah the victory.

17 Abijah and his people struck them severely: five hundred thousand select warriors were killed.

18 Israel was subdued on that occasion, and Judah succeeded because they relied on the LORD, the God of their ancestors.

19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took these cities away from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their villages.

20 Jeroboam failed to regain power during the time of Abijah. The LORD finally struck him down, and he died.

21 Abijah, however, grew strong. He married fourteen wives; he had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 The rest of Abijah's deeds, what he did and what he said, are written in the account of the prophet Iddo.

The Message Bible MSG

1 In the eighteenth year of the rule of King Jeroboam, Abijah took over the throne of Judah.

2 He ruled in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

3 Abijah started out with 400,000 of his best soldiers; Jeroboam countered with 800,000 of his best.

4 Abijah took a prominent position on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and gave this speech: "Listen, Jeroboam and all Israel!

5 Don't you realize that God, the one and only God of Israel, established David and his sons as the permanent rulers of Israel, ratified by a 'covenant of salt' - God's kingdom ruled by God's king?

6 And what happened? Jeroboam, the son of Solomon's slave Nebat, rebelled against his master.

7 All the riff-raff joined his cause and were too much for Rehoboam, Solomon's true heir. Rehoboam didn't know his way around - besides he was a real wimp; he couldn't stand up against them.

8 "Taking advantage of that weakness, you are asserting yourself against the very rule of God that is delegated to David's descendants - you think you are so big with your huge army backed up by the golden-calf idols that Jeroboam made for you as gods!

9 But just look at what you've done - you threw out the priests of God, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests to suit yourselves, priests just like the pagans have. Anyone who shows up with enough money to pay for it can be a priest! A priest of No-God!

10 "But for the rest of us in Judah, we're sticking with God. We have not traded him in for the latest model - we're keeping the tried and true priests of Aaron to lead us to God and the Levites to lead us in worship

11 by sacrificing Whole-Burnt-Offerings and aromatic incense to God at the daily morning and evening prayers, setting out fresh holy bread on a clean table, and lighting the lamps on the golden Lampstand every night. We continue doing what God told us to in the way he told us to do it; but you have rid yourselves of him.

12 "Can't you see the obvious? God is on our side; he's our leader. And his priests with trumpets are all ready to blow the signal to battle. O Israel - don't fight against God, the God of your ancestors. You will not win this battle."

13 While Abijah was speaking, Jeroboam had sent men around to take them by surprise from the rear: Jeroboam in front of Judah and the ambush behind.

14 When Judah looked back, they saw they were attacked front and back. They prayed desperately to God, the priests blew their trumpets, and the soldiers of Judah shouted their battle cry.

15 At the battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

16 The army of Israel scattered before Judah; God gave them the victory.

17 Abijah and his troops slaughtered them - 500,000 of Israel's best fighters were killed that day.

18 The army of Israel fell flat on its face - a humiliating defeat. The army of Judah won hands down because they trusted God, the God of their ancestors.

19 Abijah followed up his victory by pursuing Jeroboam, taking the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron with their surrounding villages.

20 Jeroboam never did recover from his defeat while Abijah lived. Later on God struck him down and he died.

21 Meanwhile Abijah flourished; he married fourteen wives and ended up with a family of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 The rest of the history of Abijah, what he did and said, is written in the study written by Iddo the prophet.