2 Chronicles 13

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

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

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

He ruled for three years in Jerusalem; his mother's name was Macaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

3 And when Abijah had undertaken the conflict, and he had with him four hundred thousand elect men, very fit for war, Jeroboam set up a battle line opposite him of eight hundred thousand men, who were also elect and very strong in warfare.

Abijah went into battle with an army of strong, courageous soldiers, 400,000 chosen men. Jeroboam placed battle lines against him with 800,000 chosen men, strong, courageous soldiers.

4 Then Abijah stood upon mount Zemaraim, which was in Ephraim, and he said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all of Israel.

Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!

5 Are you ignorant that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave David the kingship over Israel for all time, to him and to his sons, by a covenant of salt?

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

6 But Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, the servant of Solomon, son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.

Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master.

7 And there were gathered to him very vain men, and sons of Belial. And they prevailed against Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. For Rehoboam was inexperienced, and he had a fearful heart, and so he was unable to resist them.

Worthless men, base fellows, gathered to him. They came against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and inexperienced and could not withstand them.

8 Now therefore, you say that you are able to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which he possesses through the sons of David, and you have a great multitude of people, and gold calves, which Jeroboam made for you as gods.

So now you plan to resist the kingdom of Yahweh that is held within the hand of the descendants of David, because you are a large army, and you have the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods.

9 And you have cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, as well as the Levites. And like all the peoples of the lands, you have made priests for yourselves. Anyone who is willing to come and perform the ritual by his hand, with a bull from the herd and with seven rams, is made a priest of those who are not gods.

But did you not drive out the priests of Yahweh, the descendants of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own in the same way as the people of other lands do? Whoever comes to serve as a priest, sacrificing a young bullock and seven rams, he becomes a priest of what are not gods.

10 But the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. And the priests who minister to the Lord are from the sons of Aaron. And the Levites are in their proper order.

But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests, descendants of Aaron, serving Yahweh, and the Levites, who are at their work.

11 Also, they offer holocausts to the Lord, each and every day, morning and evening, and incense composed according to the precept of the law, and the bread of the presence on a very pure table. And there is with us the gold lampstand with its lamps, so that they may burn continually in the evening. For certainly, we keep the precepts of the Lord our God, whom you have forsaken.

Every morning and evening they burn for Yahweh burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also arrange the bread of the presence on the pure table; they also tend the lampstand of gold with its lamps, for them to burn every evening. We keep the commandments of Yahweh, our God, but you have forsaken him.

12 Therefore, God is the commander of our army, with his priests, who sound the trumpets that ring out against you. O sons of Israel, do not choose to fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers. For it is not expedient for you.”

See, God is with us at our head, and his priests are here with the trumpets to sound an alarm against you. People of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”

13 While he was speaking these things, Jeroboam set in motion an ambush behind them. And while they stood facing the enemy, without Judah realizing it, his army circled around.

But Jeroboam prepared an ambush behind them; his army was in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

14 And looking back, Judah saw the war threatening in front and behind, and they cried out to the Lord. And the priests began to sound the trumpets.

When Judah looked back, behold, the fighting was both in front of them and behind them. They cried out to Yahweh, and the priests blew the trumpets.

15 And all the men of Judah shouted out. And behold, when they cried out, God terrified Jeroboam, and all of Israel who were standing in opposition to Abijah and Judah.

Then the men of Judah gave a shout; as they shouted, it came about that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

16 And the sons of Israel fled from Judah, and the Lord delivered them into their hand.

The people of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into the hand of Judah.

17 Therefore, Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter. And five hundred thousand strong men of Israel fell wounded.

Abijah and his army killed them with great slaughter; 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell dead.

18 And the sons of Israel were humiliated at that time. And the sons of Judah were very greatly strengthened, because they had trusted in the Lord, the God of their fathers.

In this way, the people of Israel were subdued at that time; the people of Judah won because they relied on Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.

19 Then Abijah pursued the fleeing Jeroboam. And he seized cities from him: Bethel and her daughters, and Jeshanah with her daughters, and also Ephron and her daughters.

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

20 And Jeroboam no longer had the strength to resist, in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him, and he died.

Jeroboam never recovered power again during the days of Abijah; Yahweh struck him, and he died.

21 And so Abijah, having been strengthened in his authority, took fourteen wives. And he procreated twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

But Abijah became powerful; he took fourteen wives for himself and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 Now the rest of the words of Abijah, and his ways and works, have been written very diligently in the book of Iddo, the prophet.

The rest of Abijah's deeds, his behavior, and words are written in the history of the prophet Iddo.