2 Chronicles 13

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

2He reigned three years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

3Abijah joined battle with an army of four hundred thousand chosen men, mighty warriors; and Jeroboam drew up for battle against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, mighty men of valor.

4Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel!”

5Do you not know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons, by a covenant of salt?

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

7And worthless men, sons of Belial, gathered around him and proved stronger than Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and fainthearted and had not strengthened himself against them.

8And now you are saying that you are strong enough to stand against the kingdom of Yahweh in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.

9Have you not driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of the lands? Whoever comes to fill his hand with a young bull and seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods.

10But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests who minister to Yahweh are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites are in their work.

11And we offer up burnt offerings to Yahweh morning by morning and evening by evening, and fragrant incense, and the arrangement of bread on the pure table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps to burn evening by evening; for we are keeping the charge of Yahweh our God, but you have forsaken him.

12And behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets for the battle cry, to sound the alarm against you. Sons of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.

13But Yarobam had turned the ambush around to come behind them, so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

14When Judah turned around, behold, the battle was before them and behind them; and they cried out to Yahweh, and the priests were blowing the trumpets.

15Then the men of Judah raised a shout, and when the men of Judah shouted, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

16And the sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand.

17Abijah and his people struck them with a great blow, and five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell slain.

18So the sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed, because they relied on Yahweh, the God of their fathers.

19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured from him cities: Bethel and its daughter towns, Jeshanah and its daughter towns, and Ephron and its daughter towns.

20Jeroboam no longer retained strength in the days of Abijah, and Yahweh struck him, and he died.

21And Abijah grew strong, and he took for himself fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22The rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his sayings, are written in the midrash of the prophet Iddo.

23And Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years.