الإصحَاحُ
الثَّالِثُ عَشَرَ

 

Chapter
13

1
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 you 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, Beth-el with the
towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain 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.