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2 Chronicles 13
The Voice
2 Chronicles 13
The Voice
13 1-2 Abijah, the son of Rehoboam and Micaiah[a] (daughter of Uriel of Gibeah), became king over Judah during Jeroboam’s 18th year as king of the Northern Kingdom. He ruled for 3 years from Jerusalem and battled against Jeroboam. 3 Abijah, who initiated the war, had an army of 400,000 heroic men, but he was drastically outnumbered by Jeroboam’s army of 800,000 heroic men. 4 Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and addressed Jeroboam and all of the soldiers from the Northern Kingdom.
Abijah: Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Do you in the Northern Kingdom not know that the Eternal One, the True God of Israel, gave the rule over all of Israel, both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, to David and his descendants by a covenant of salt?
Salt in the ancient world not only serves as a preservative, but it also hinders the spread of yeast and reminds those eating a treaty meal of a mutual oath.
6 Yet Jeroboam, Nebat’s son and the servant of David’s son Solomon, rebelled against his master.
Jeroboam and all of the Israelites from the North follow false gods and rebel against God’s authority. When they deny David’s descendants as the rightful kings, they deny God and His choice.
Abijah: 7 In his rebellion, Jeroboam surrounded himself with worthless men and scoundrels who took advantage of Solomon’s own son, Rehoboam, when he was young and impressionable early in his reign. He had no hope of defending himself and the nation against them.
8 Not only have you rebelled against the Eternal’s kingdom ruled by the descendants of David, but you have allowed your great numbers to make you arrogant. You have also rebelled against His laws by worshiping and relying on the golden calves which Jeroboam cast as gods for you. 9 You even drove the priests of the Eternal (the sons of Aaron and the Levites) from your midst and replaced them with non-Levite priests from foreigners in the land! Anyone who wants to be a priest of your false gods needs only pay for his commission with the sacrifice of a young bull and seven rams.
10 The Eternal One is our True God, and we have not rebelled against Him in favor of idols and illegitimate priests. The sons of Aaron continue in their divinely appointed duty of serving the Eternal as priests, and the Levites perform their work as well. 11 Every morning and evening they give to the Eternal what He prescribed during the time of Moses: burnt offerings, fragrant incense, unleavened bread on the clean table, and light from the golden lampstand. Unlike you, who have rebelled against Him, we are vigilant in obeying the Eternal One, our True God.
12 Remember, as you prepare to fight against us, that the True God is on our side and is leading us. His priests will blow the signal trumpets to alert Him that you are here to fight us, and He will rescue us from our enemies as He promised.[b] O Israelites, God’s chosen people, do not fight against the Eternal One, the True God of your fathers, because you will not succeed.
13 During Abijah’s appeal to the Northern Israelites, Jeroboam was not paying attention. Instead, he was dividing his forces into two fronts—one to meet Judah in front of them and one to ambush them from the rear.
14-16 When Judah realized what the Northern forces had done, the men shouted to the Eternal and the priests blew their signal trumpets just as Abijah promised. God was faithful to His promise; He crushed Jeroboam and his forces. As they fled, the True God gave the victory over Israel to Abijah and Judah. 17 Abijah and his army slaughtered 500,000 of the Israelite warriors. 18 The Northern Israelites were defeated because the people of Judah trusted in the Eternal One, the True God of their ancestors. 19 Abijah pursued the fleeing Jeroboam and captured several Northern cities and their surrounding towns and regions: Bethel (one of the Northern Kingdom’s shrine cities), Jeshanah, and Ephron.
20 Jeroboam was weakened by his battles with Judah, and he never regained his former strength. The Eternal struck him, and Jeroboam died. 21 But Abijah’s strength increased, and he married 14 wives and fathered 22 sons and 16 daughters. 22 The actions of Abijah, his works and his words, are recorded in the chronicles of Iddo the prophet.
Footnotes
- 13:1–2 In 1 Kings 15:2 she is Maacah, daughter of Abishalom.
- 13:12 Numbers 10:9
2 Chronicles 13
New International Version
2 Chronicles 13
New International Version
Abijah King of Judah(A)
13 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah, 2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah,[a](B) a daughter[b] of Uriel of Gibeah.
There was war between Abijah(C) and Jeroboam.(D) 3 Abijah went into battle with an army of four hundred thousand able fighting men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand able troops.
4 Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim,(E) in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Jeroboam and all Israel,(F) listen to me! 5 Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever(G) by a covenant of salt?(H) 6 Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled(I) against his master. 7 Some worthless scoundrels(J) gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive(K) and not strong enough to resist them.
8 “And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David’s descendants.(L) You are indeed a vast army and have with you(M) the golden calves(N) that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9 But didn’t you drive out the priests(O) of the Lord,(P) the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull(Q) and seven rams(R) may become a priest of what are not gods.(S)
10 “As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. 11 Every morning and evening(T) they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense(U) to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table(V) and light the lamps(W) on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him. 12 God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you.(X) People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord,(Y) the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”(Z)
13 Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush(AA) was behind them. 14 Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out(AB) to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets 15 and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel(AC) before Abijah and Judah. 16 The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered(AD) them into their hands. 17 Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel’s able men. 18 The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied(AE) on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. 20 Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died.
21 But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 The other events of Abijah’s reign, what he did and what he said, are written in the annotations of the prophet Iddo.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 13:2 Most Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 11:20 and 1 Kings 15:2); Hebrew Micaiah
- 2 Chronicles 13:2 Or granddaughter
2 Chronicles 13
King James Version
2 Chronicles 13
King James Version
13 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.
2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3 And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.
4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
5 Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.
7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.
8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with your golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.
9 Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.
10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the Lord, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:
11 And they burn unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken him.
12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.
17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers.
19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephraim with the towns thereof.
20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the Lord struck him, and he died.
21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.
22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
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