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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} He reigned three years 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 the LORD, 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 tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.
{13:8} "Now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD 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 the LORD, the sons of
Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves after the ways
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, the LORD is our God, and we have not
forsaken him; and we have priests ministering to the LORD, the sons of
Aaron, and the Levites in their work: {13:11} and they burn to the
LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet
incense. They also set the show bread in order on the pure table; and
the menorah of gold with its lamps, to burn every evening: for we keep
the instruction of the LORD our God; but you have forsaken him.
{13:12} Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the
[1>]shofars[<1] of alarm to sound an alarm against you. Children of
Israel, don't fight against the LORD, 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 the LORD, and the priests sounded with the
[2>]shofars[<2]. {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 the LORD, the God
of their fathers. {13:19} Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took
cities from him, Bethel with its towns, and Jeshanah with its towns,
and Ephron with its towns. {13:20} Jeroboam didn't recover strength
again in the days of Abijah. The LORD 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 the LORD his God: {14:3} for he took away the foreign
altars, and the high places, and broke down the pillars, and cut down
the Asherim, {14:4} and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, 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 the LORD had given him rest. {14:7} For he
said to Judah, "Let us build these cities, and make walls around them,
with towers, gates, and bars. The land is yet before us, because we
have sought the LORD 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 the
LORD his God, and said, "LORD, there is none besides you to help,
between the mighty and him who has no strength. Help us, LORD our God;
for we rely on you, and in your name are we come against this
multitude. LORD, you are our God. Don't let man prevail against you."
{14:12} So the LORD 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 the LORD, and before his army; and they carried away very much
booty. {14:14} They struck all the cities around Gerar; for the fear
of the LORD 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 me, Asa, and all Judah
and Benjamin! the LORD is with you, while you are with him; and if you
seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will
forsake you. {15:3} Now for a long time Israel was without the true
God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. {15:4} But when
in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and
sought him, he was found by them. {15:5} In those times there was no
peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great troubles
were on all the inhabitants of the lands. {15:6} They were broken in
pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled
them with all adversity. {15:7} But you be 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 the
LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD. {15:9} He gathered all
Judah and Benjamin, and those who lived 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 the LORD 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
the LORD in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven
hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep. {15:12} They entered
into the covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all
their heart and with all their soul; {15:13} and that whoever would
not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether
small or great, whether man or woman. {15:14} They swore to the LORD
with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with [3>]shofars[<3], 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 the LORD gave them rest all around.
{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 God's house 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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Footnotes:
[1] {13:12} or, trumpets
[2] {13:14} or, trumpets
[3] {15:14} or, trumpets
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