2 Chronicles 13

Abijah Goes to War with Jeroboam

1In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3Abijah joined battle with an army of mighty warriors, four hundred thousand chosen men. Jeroboam drew up battle lines against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, mighty warriors.

Abijah Appeals to the Davidic Covenant

4Abijah stood upon Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 5Do you not know that the LORD, the God of Israel, gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and to his sons by a covenant of salt? 6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, servant of Solomon son of David, arose and rebelled against his lord. 7Worthless men, sons of lawlessness, gathered around him and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted and could not withstand them. 8And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David because you are a great multitude and have with you the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of the lands? Whoever comes to fill his hand with a young bull and seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods. 10But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not abandoned him. The priests who minister to the LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites are at their work. 11Every morning and every evening they burn burnt offerings to the LORD and fragrant incense. They arrange the bread upon the pure table, and they tend the gold lampstand and its lamps to burn every evening, for we keep the charge of the LORD our God, but you have abandoned him. 12And look, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the signal trumpets to sound the alarm against you. Children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”

Judah Cries to the LORD

13But Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come behind them, so that his troops were before Judah and the ambush was behind them. 14Judah turned and looked, and behold, the battle was before and behind them. They cried to the LORD, and the priests sounded the trumpets. 15Then the men of Judah raised the battle cry. And it happened when the men of Judah raised the battle cry that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16The children of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. 17Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter, and five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell slain. 18Thus the children of Israel were humbled at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed because they relied upon the LORD, the God of their ancestors.

Abijah’s Victory and Death

19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. 20Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah, and the LORD struck him, and he died. 21But Abijah grew strong. He took fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his words, are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.