2 Chronicles 13:2-20
2He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was aMicaiah ▼▼Spelled Maacah in 1 Kings 15:2
the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. cNow there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam ddrew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. 4Then Abijah stood up on Mount eZemaraim that is in fthe hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! 5Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel ggave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by ha covenant of salt? 6Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up iand rebelled against his lord, 7and certain jworthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was kyoung and irresolute ▼▼Hebrew soft of heart
and could not withstand them. 8“And 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 mthe golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. 9 nHave 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 other lands? Whoever comes ofor ordination ▼▼Hebrew to fill his hand
with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are qnot gods. 10But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. 11They offer to the Lord revery morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out sthe showbread on the table of pure gold, tand care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may uburn every evening. For we vkeep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests wwith their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, xdo not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.” 13Jeroboam had sent yan ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops ▼▼Hebrew they
were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. aaAnd they cried to the Lord, and the priests abblew the trumpets. 15Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, acGod defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16The men of Israel fled before Judah, adand God gave them into their hand. 17Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 18Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, aebecause they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19And Abijah pursued Jeroboam afand took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and agEphron ▼▼Or Ephrain
with its villages. 20Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. aiAnd the Lord struck him down, ajand he died.
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