War Between Abijah & Jeroboam |
2 Chronicles 13:1-22 2 Chronicles in [Smaller Chunks] |
Now, in the 18th year king Jeroboam [ruled,] Abijah began to [rule] over Judah & he [ruled] 3 years in Jerusalem. Also, his mother’s name was Michaiah, [Uriel’s] daughter, [from] Gibeah. |
There was war between Abijah & Jeroboam. Abijah [put] the battle [in order] with an [army] of 400,000 chosen, valiant men of war. Also, Jeroboam [put] his battle [in order] against him with 800,000 chosen mighty men of valor. |
Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in Mount Ephraim & said, Jeroboam & all Israel, hear me: [Don’t] you know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom of Israel over to [king] David & his sons forever by a covenant [contract] of salt? |
[Still] Jeroboam, [Nebat’s] son, Solomon’s servant, has rebelled against his master. Vain, worthless men, [scoundrels] are gathered to him & have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam, [Solomon’s] son, when Rehoboam was young & [inexperienced & couldn’t] withstand them. |
Now you think you can [resist] the Kingdom of the Lord, [that’s] in the [hands] of [David’s descendants] & you are a [large] multitude, with your golden calves Jeroboam made for you [as] gods. |
Haven’t you cast out the [Lord’s] priests, [Aaron’s] sons & the Levites & made [yourselves] priests [like those ] of the nations of other lands? So [anyone who] comes to consecrate himself with a young bull & 7 rams, may be a priest of what are [not] gods. |
But as for us, the Lord is our God & we haven’t [abandoned] Him. The priests [who] minister to the Lord are [Aaron’s descendants] & the Levites [assist] them in their [work.] |
Every morning & every evening, they [offer] burnt sacrifices & sweet incense to the Lord [God.] They also [put the showbread] in order on the [purified] table with the candlestick of gold & [its] lamps to burn every evening. |
We keep the [commandments] of the Lord, our God, but you have [abandoned] Him. [See,] God Himself is with us for our [leader] & His priests with [blaring] trumpets to [sound the] alarm against you. |
O children [people] of Israel, [don’t] fight against the Lord God of your [forefathers:] for you [won’t] prosper. But Jeroboam caused an [ambush to happen] behind them. When Judah looked back, the battle was [in front] & behind & they cried [out] to the Lord & the priests sounded the trumpets. |
Then, the men of Judah gave a shout & as they shouted, it [happened] that God [struck] Jeroboam & all Israel [in front of] Abijah & Judah. The [people] of Israel fled [in front of] Judah & [the Lord] God delivered them into their hand. |
Abijah & his people [struck] them with a [large] slaughter, so 500,000 chosen men of Israel were [killed.] The [people] of Judah prevailed, over the [people] of Israel, because they relied on the Lord God, of their [forefathers.] |
Abijah pursued after Jeroboam & [captured these] cities & [their] towns from him: BethEl, Jeshanah & Ephrain [a.k.a. Ephron] & [its] towns. Jeroboam didn’t [regain] strength again [during] the days of Abijah. |
The Lord struck [Jeroboam] & he died. But Abijah [grew] mighty & married 14 wives & [fathered] 22 sons & 16 daughters. The rest of [Abijah’s actions & what he did & said,] are written in the [notations] of the prophet, Iddo. |