2 Chronicles 13

Modern

Literal

Abijah Reigns in Judah

¹In the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign, Abijah^a became king of Judah,

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

²and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Micaiah^a daughter^b of Uriel; she was from Gibeah.

And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

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

³Abijah went into battle with an army of 400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam drew up in formation against him with 800,000 chosen and mighty men of valor.

³And Abijah directed the battle with an army of mighty men of war, four hundred thousand choice men, and Jeroboam drew up against him in battle with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.

Civil War against Jeroboam

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

⁴And Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and he said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel;

⁵Do you not know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?^a

⁵is it not for you to know that YHWH, God of Israel, gave the dominion to David over Israel forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?

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

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

⁷Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.

⁷And vain men gathered to him, sons of worthlessness, and they strenghtened themselves against Rehoboam son of Solomon. And Rehoboam was young and tender of heart, and he could not strengthen himself against them.

⁸And now you think you can resist the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army, and you have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.

⁸And you are saying to strengthen yourselves before the face of the kingdom of YHWH in the hand of the sons of David, and you are a great multitude, and with you are the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.

⁹But did you not drive out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites? And did you not make priests for yourselves as do the peoples of other lands? Now whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of things that are not gods.

⁹Have you not cast out the priests of YHWH, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of the lands? Everyone comes to consecrate himself with a bull, a son of the herd, and seven rams, and he will be a priest of what are not gods.

¹⁰But as for us, the LORD is our God. We have not forsaken Him; the priests who minister to the LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties.

¹⁰And as for us, YHWH is our God, and we have not forsaken Him and the priests who minister to YHWH, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, in the work.

¹¹Every morning and every evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the rows of showbread on the ceremonially clean table, and every evening they light the lamps of the gold lampstand. We are carrying out the requirements of the LORD our God, while you have forsaken Him.

¹¹And they burn to YHWH burnt offerings morning by morning and evening by evening, and incense of spices, and the arrangement of bread on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold, and its lamps, to burn evening by evening. For we are keeping the charge of YHWH our God, and you have forsaken Him.

¹²Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the battle call against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”

¹²And behold, with us at head is God, and His priests, and trumpets sounding to shout against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against YHWH, God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper.”

¹³Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to ambush from the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah, the ambush was behind them.

¹³And Jeroboam brought around the ambush to come in behind them, and they were before the face of Judah, and the ambush behind them.

¹⁴When Judah turned and discovered that the battle was both before and behind them, they cried out to the LORD. Then the priests blew the trumpets,

¹⁴And Judah turned, and behold, the battle was before their faces and behind, and they cried out to YHWH, and the priests sounded the trumpets.

¹⁵and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. And when they raised the cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

¹⁵And the men of Judah gave a shout, and it came to pass as the men of Judah shouted, that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

¹⁶So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands.

¹⁶And the sons of Israel fled before the face of Judah, and God delivered them into their hands.

¹⁷Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain.

¹⁷And Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter, and they fell slain from Israel five hundred thousand choice men.

¹⁸Thus the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.

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

¹⁹Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their villages.

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

²⁰Jeroboam did not again recover his power during the days of Abijah, and the LORD struck him down and he died.

²⁰And Jeroboam did not recover power again in the days of Abijah; and YHWH struck him and he died.

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

²¹And Abijah strengthened himself, and he took to himself fourteen wives, and he begat twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

²²Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, along with his ways and his words, are written in the Treatise^a of the Prophet Iddo.

²²And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his words, are written in the Treatise of the Prophet Iddo.