2 Chronicles 13

1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, daughter of Uriel, from Gibeon. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. [a] 3 And Abijah drew up for battle with an army of fighting men, four hundred thousand mighty men; and Jeroboam drew up for battle against him with eight hundred thousand, mighty men, fighting men of the army.

4 And Abijah rose up from Mount Somoron, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam, and all Israel! [b] 5 Is it not for you to know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave kingship over Israel forever to David and to his sons — a covenant of salt? [c] 6 And Jeroboam son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and turned away from his master. 7 And worthless men gathered to him, lawless sons, and he set himself against Rehoboam son of Solomon; and Rehoboam was young and fearful in heart, and did not stand up against him.

8 And now you mean to stand against the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hand of the sons of David. And you are a great crowd, and with you are golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods. 9 Did you not drive out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make yourselves priests out of the people of the land? Anyone who came to fill his hands with a young bull from the herd and seven rams became a priest to what is no god. [d]

10 But we have not forsaken the Lord our God, and his priests serve the Lord — the sons of Aaron and the Levites, in their daily divisions. 11 They send up whole burnt offerings to the Lord in smoke, morning and evening, and finely blended incense; and the loaves are set out on the pure table; and there is the golden lampstand, and its lamps for burning are lit as the evening comes. For we keep the watches of the Lord, the God of our fathers — and you have forsaken him. 12 And look: with us, at our head, is the Lord, and his priests, and the trumpets for sounding the blast against you. Children of Israel, you will be fighting against the Lord, the God of our fathers, and it will not go well for you.” [e]

13 But Jeroboam had turned the men lying in ambush around, to come at them from behind; so he himself was in front of Judah, and the ambush behind. 14 And Judah turned, and there was the battle against them, in front and behind. And they cried out to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets. 15 And the men of Judah shouted; and when the men of Judah shouted, the Lord struck Jeroboam and Israel down before Abijah and Judah.

16 And the children of Israel fled from before Judah, and the Lord gave them into their hands. 17 And Abijah and his people struck them a great blow, and five hundred thousand mighty men of Israel fell slain. [f] 18 So the children of Israel were brought low that day, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they had put their hope in the Lord, the God of their fathers.

19 And Abijah went after Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel and its villages, and Isana and its villages, and Ephron and its villages. [g] 20 And Jeroboam had no strength again all the days of Abijah; and the Lord struck him, and he died.

21 But Abijah grew strong. He took fourteen wives for himself, and he fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 And the rest of the words of Abijah, and his acts and his sayings, are written in the book of the prophet Iddo. [h] 23 And Abijah died with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his place. In the days of Asa the land of Judah was quiet for ten years. [i]