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2 Chronicles 13

New Revised Standard NRS

1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.

2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

3 Abijah engaged in battle, having an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand picked men; and Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with eight hundred thousand picked mighty warriors.

4 Then Abijah stood on the slope of Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!

5 Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?

6 Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord;

7 and certain worthless scoundrels gathered around him and defied Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and irresolute and could not withstand them.

8 "And now you think that you can withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made as gods for you.

9 Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the descendants of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to be consecrated with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are no gods.

10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not abandoned him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are descendants of Aaron, and Levites for their service.

11 They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and fragrant incense, set out the rows of bread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand so that its lamps may burn every evening; for we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have abandoned him.

12 See, God is with us at our head, and his priests have their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O Israelites, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors; for you cannot succeed."

13 Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come on them from behind; thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

14 When Judah turned, the battle was in front of them and behind them. They cried out to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets.

15 Then the people of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the people of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

16 The Israelites fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hands.

17 Abijah and his army defeated them with great slaughter; five hundred thousand picked men of Israel fell slain.

18 Thus the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the people of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam, and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron with its villages.

20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah; the Lord struck him down, and he died.

21 But Abijah grew strong. He took fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his behavior and his deeds, are written in the story 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.