The Second Book of Chronicles, starting at chapter 13
{13:1} In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign
over Judah. {13:2} Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his
mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was
war between Abijah and Jeroboam. {13:3} Abijah joined battle with an
army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: and
Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred
thousand chosen men, who were mighty men of valor. {13:4} Abijah stood
up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and
said, Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: {13:5} Ought you not to know
that Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David
forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? {13:6} Yet
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David,
rose up, and rebelled against his lord. {13:7} There were gathered to
him worthless men, base fellows, who strengthened themselves against
Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and
tender-hearted, and could not withstand them. {13:8} Now you think to
withstand the kingdom of Yahweh in the hand of the sons of David; and
you are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves
which Jeroboam made you for gods. {13:9} Haven't you driven out the
priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made you
priests after the manner of the peoples of [other] lands? so that
whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams,
the same may be a priest of [those who are] no gods. {13:10} But as
for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and [we have]
priests ministering to Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in
their work: {13:11} and they burn to Yahweh every morning and every
evening burnt offerings and sweet incense: the show bread also [set
they] in order on the pure table; and the lampstand of gold with the
lamps of it, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of Yahweh
our God; but you have forsaken him. {13:12} Behold, God is with us at
our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm
against you. Children of Israel, don't you fight against Yahweh, the
God of your fathers; for you shall not prosper. {13:13} But Jeroboam
caused an ambush to come about behind them: so they were before Judah,
and the ambush was behind them. {13:14} When Judah looked back,
behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried to
Yahweh, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. {13:15} Then the
men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it
happened, that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and
Judah. {13:16} The children of Israel fled before Judah; and God
delivered them into their hand. {13:17} Abijah and his people killed
them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five
hundred thousand chosen men. {13:18} Thus the children of Israel were
brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed,
because they relied on Yahweh, the God of their fathers. {13:19}
Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with
the towns of it, and Jeshanah with the towns of it, and Ephron with
the towns of it. {13:20} Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again
in the days of Abijah: and Yahweh struck him, and he died. {13:21} But
Abijah grew mighty, and took to himself fourteen wives, and became the
father of twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters. {13:22} The rest of
the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the
commentary of the prophet Iddo.
{14:1} So 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 was quiet ten years. {14:2} Asa did that which was good and right
in the eyes of Yahweh his God: {14:3} for he took away the foreign
altars, and the high places, and broke down the pillars, and hewed
down the Asherim, {14:4} and commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God
of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. {14:5} Also
he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the
sun images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. {14:6} He built
fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war
in those years, because Yahweh had given him rest. {14:7} For he said
to Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and
towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us, because we have
sought Yahweh our God; we have sought him, and he has given us rest on
every side. So they built and prospered. {14:8} Asa had an army that
bore bucklers and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out
of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred eighty
thousand: all these were mighty men of valor. {14:9} There came out
against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a million troops, and
three hundred chariots; and he came to Mareshah. {14:10} Then Asa went
out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of
Zephathah at Mareshah. {14:11} Asa cried to Yahweh his God, and said,
Yahweh, there is none besides you to help, between the mighty and him
who has no strength: help us, Yahweh our God; for we rely on you, and
in your name are we come against this multitude. Yahweh, you are our
God; don't let man prevail against you. {14:12} So Yahweh struck the
Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.
{14:13} Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar:
and there fell of the Ethiopians so many that they could not recover
themselves; for they were destroyed before Yahweh, and before his
army; and they carried away very much booty. {14:14} They struck all
the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of Yahweh came on them: and
they despoiled all the cities; for there was much spoil in them.
{14:15} They struck also the tents of livestock, and carried away
sheep in abundance, and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.
{15:1} The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded: {15:2} and
he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, Hear you me, Asa, and all
Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh is with you, while you are with him; and if
you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will
forsake you. {15:3} Now for a long season Israel was without the true
God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: {15:4} But when
in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought
him, he was found of them. {15:5} In those times there was no peace to
him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great vexations were on
all the inhabitants of the lands. {15:6} They were broken in pieces,
nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them
with all adversity. {15:7} But be you strong, and don't let your hands
be slack; for your work shall be rewarded. {15:8} When Asa heard these
words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put
away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and
out of the cities which he had taken from the hill country of Ephraim;
and he renewed the altar of Yahweh, that was before the porch of
Yahweh. {15:9} He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who
sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon:
for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that
Yahweh his God was with him. {15:10} So they gathered themselves
together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the
reign of Asa. {15:11} They sacrificed to Yahweh in that day, of the
spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand
sheep. {15:12} They entered into the covenant to seek Yahweh, the God
of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;
{15:13} and that whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel,
should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
{15:14} They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, and with shouting, and
with trumpets, and with cornets. {15:15} All Judah rejoiced at the
oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with
their whole desire; and he was found of them: and Yahweh gave them
rest round about. {15:16} Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he
removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for
an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt
it at the brook Kidron. {15:17} But the high places were not taken
away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his
days. {15:18} He brought into the house of God the things that his
father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and
gold, and vessels. {15:19} There was no more war to the five and
thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.
___
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