Moff 2 CHR Chapter 13

◄ 2 CHR 13 ► ║ ═ ©

13 It was in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam that Abijah began to reign over Judah. 2 For three years he reigned in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Maakah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

War broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah took the field with an army of gallant soldiers, four hundred thousand picked men; Jeroboam arrayed against him eight hundred thousand picked men, who were gallant fighters. 4 Abijah took his stand on mount Zemaraim, in the highlands of Ephraim, and shouted: “Listen to me, Jeroboam, and all Israel! 5 Surely you know that the Eternal the God of Israel gave the monarchy of Israel to David for all time, to David and his descendants, by an irrevocable pledge! 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose in rebellion against his lord. 7 He was joined by some crafty creatures, low scoundrels, who asserted themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was inexperienced and too weak to resist them. 8 And now you think of resisting the kingdom of the Eternal, under the son of David! You are a mighty host; you have with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made as gods for you. 9 Have you not expelled the priests of the Eternal, Aaron’s sons, and the Levites? Have you not made priests for yourselves, as foreigners do, till anybody who comes forward to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams can become a priest of your no-gods? 10 But as for us, the Eternal is our God; we have not forsaken him; we have the sons of Aaron serving the Eternal as priests, and the Levites at their posts, 11 burning every morning and evening to the Eternal sacrifices and fragrant incense, arranging the bread of the Presence on the sacred table, and lighting the golden lampstand with its lamps every evening. We do our duty to the Eternal our God; you have forsaken him. 12 Here is God with us, at our head; his priests have the bugles of alarm, to sound the alarum against you. Men of Israel, fight not against the Eternal the God of your fathers, for you will never succeed!”

13 However, Jeroboam laid an ambush in their rear; Judah had his army in front of them and his ambush in the rear, 14 so that, on turning to attack, there was the foe arrayed in front and behind! They cried to the Eternal, the priests blew a trumpet-blast, and the Judahites raised their war-cry. 15 Now, as the Judahites raised their war-cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah; 16 the men of Israel fled before Judah, and God put them into the hands of Judah; 17 Abijah and his army massacred them, till five hundred thousand picked men of Israel fell dead. 18 So the Israelites were crushed at that time, while the men of Judah won, because they relied on the Eternal the God of their fathers. 19 Abijah chased Jeroboam, and captured from him the towns of Bethel, with its villages, Jeshana, with its villages, and Ephron, with its villages. 20 Indeed, Jeroboam never recovered himself during the reign of Abijah; the Eternal struck him dead. 21 But Abijah grew powerful; he married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his deeds and his sayings, are described in the Midrash of the prophet Iddo.

2 CHR C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30 C31 C32 C33 C34 C35 C36

Moff 2 CHR Chapter 13

Moff 2 CHR Chapter 13