2 Chronicles 13

Abijah’s War with Jeroboam

1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam’s rule, Abijah took over as king in Judah.

2 He ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mama’s name was Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

3 Abijah rolled out to battle with an army of four hundred thousand choice warriors. Jeroboam lined up for battle against him with eight hundred thousand choice warriors.

4 Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and yelled out, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!”

5 “Do you not all know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David and his kids forever by a covenant of salt?”

6 “But Jeroboam son of Nebat, David’s servant, bucked against his master.”

7 “And some low-life, worthless dudes linked up with him and overpowered Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young and does not have much experience and could not stand up to them.”

8 “And now you all acting like you can overpower the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David’s sons! You got a huge crowd, and you got the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.”

9 “Did you not all kick out the Lord’s priests, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, And you all made your own priests, like the people of other countries! Anyone who rolls up with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of gods that are not even real!”

10 “But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not ditched Him. We got priests, the sons of Aaron, serving the Lord, and Levites doing their duties.”

11 “They burn burnt offerings to the Lord every morning and evening, along with sweet incense. They got the showbread set up on the pure table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps to burn every evening. Because we keeping the command of the Lord our God, but you all ditched Him.”

12 “Look, God is with us as our leader, and His priests are with their trumpets to blast the battle call against you. Israelites, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, because you are not going to win!”

13 But Jeroboam had set an ambush to come around behind them. So his main army was in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

14 When Judah turned around, look, the battle was against them from front and back! So they cried out to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets.

15 Then the men of Judah yelled out the war cry. And as the men of Judah yelled out, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

16 The Israelites bolted from Judah, and God handed them over to them.

17 Abijah and his army smacked them down with a massive blow. So five hundred thousand choice warriors of Israel dropped dead.

18 So the Israelites were humbled at that time, and the men of Judah won, because they leaned on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

19 Abijah chased Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages.

20 Jeroboam never regained power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him, and he passed away.

21 But Abijah grew strong. He took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 As for the rest of Abijah’s story, his ways, and his words, is it not written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo,