Now in the eighteenth year
of king
Jeroboam
began Abijah
to reign
over Judah
.
He reigned three
years
in Jerusalem
. His mother's
name
also was Michaiah
the daughter
of Uriel
of Gibeah
. And there was war
between Abijah
and Jeroboam
.
And Abijah set
the battle
in array
with an army
of valiant men
of war
, even four
hundred
thousand
chosen
men
: Jeroboam
also set the battle
in array
against him with eight
hundred
thousand
chosen
men
, being mighty men
of valour
.
And Abijah stood up
upon mount
Zemaraim
, which is in mount
Ephraim
, and said
, Hear
me, thou Jeroboam
, and all Israel
;
Ought ye not to know that the LORD
God
of Israel
gave
the kingdom
over Israel
to David
for ever
, even to him and to his sons
by a covenant
of salt
?
Yet Jeroboam the son
of Nebat
, the servant
of Solomon
the son
of David
, is risen up
, and hath rebelled
against his lord
.
And there are gathered unto him vain
men
, the children
of Belial
, and have strengthened
themselves against Rehoboam
the son
of Solomon
, when Rehoboam
was young
and tenderhearted
, and could not withstand
them
.
And now ye think to withstand
the kingdom
of the LORD
in the hand
of the sons
of David
; and ye be a great
multitude
, and there are with you golden
calves
, which Jeroboam
made
you for gods
.
Have ye not cast out the priests
of the LORD
, the sons
of Aaron
, and the Levites
, and have made
you priests
after the manner of the nations
of other lands
? so that whosoever cometh
to consecrate
himself with a young
bullock
and seven
rams
, the same may be a priest
of them that are no
gods
.
But as for us, the LORD is our God
, and we have not forsaken
him; and the priests
, which minister
unto the LORD
, are the sons
of Aaron
, and the Levites
wait upon their business
:
And they burn unto the LORD
every morning
and every evening
burnt sacrifices
and sweet
incense
: the shewbread
also set they in order upon the pure
table
; and the candlestick
of gold
with the lamps
thereof, to burn
every evening
: for we keep
the charge
of the LORD
our God
; but ye have forsaken
him.
And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain
, and his priests
with sounding
trumpets
to cry alarm
against you. O children
of Israel
, fight
ye not against the LORD
God
of your fathers
; for ye shall not prosper
.
But Jeroboam caused an ambushment
to come
about
behind
them: so they were before
Judah
, and the ambushment
was behind
them.
And when Judah looked back
, behold, the battle
was before
and behind
: and they cried
unto the LORD
, and the priests
sounded
with the trumpets
.
Then the men of Judah
gave a shout
: and as the men
of Judah
shouted
, it came to pass, that God
smote
Jeroboam
and all Israel
before
Abijah
and Judah
.
And the children of Israel
fled
before
Judah
: and God
delivered
them into their hand
.
And Abijah and his people
slew
them with a great
slaughter
: so there fell down
slain
of Israel
five
hundred
thousand
chosen
men
.
Thus the children of Israel
were brought
under at that time
, and the children
of Judah
prevailed
, because they relied
upon the LORD
God
of their fathers
.
And Abijah pursued
after
Jeroboam
, and took
cities
from him, Bethel
with the towns
thereof, and Jeshanah
with the towns
thereof, and Ephrain
with the towns
thereof.
Neither did Jeroboam recover
strength
again in the days
of Abijah
: and the LORD
struck
him, and he died
.
But Abijah waxed mighty
, and married
fourteen
wives
, and begat
twenty
and two
sons
, and sixteen
daughters
.
And the rest of the acts
of Abijah
, and his ways
, and his sayings
, are written
in the story
of the prophet
Iddo
.