2 Chronicles 13

Thomson(i) 1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abia began to reign over Juda. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Maacha, a daughter of Uriel of Gabaon. Now there was a war between Abia and Jeroboam. 3 And when Abia had drawn up in array his army consisting of forty thousand fighting men, and Jeroboam had drawn up in array for battle against him with eighty thousand fighting men; 4 Abia rose up from mount Somoron which is on mount Ephraim and said, Hearken Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Ought you not to know that the Lord God, the God of Israel, gave the office of king over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nabat, the servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and fled from his lord, 7 and there were gathered to him wicked factious men, so that he rose up against Roboam the son of Solomon, when he was young and faint hearted and unable to withstand him; 8 and now you think of rising up against the kingdom of the Lord administered by the suns of David. You indeed are a great multitude, and you have with you the calves of gold which Jeroboam hath made for you to be your gods. 9 Have you not expelled the priests of the Lord, the children of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests of the people of every land? Whoever came to consecrate himself with a young bull from the herd, and seven rams, was made a priest to a thing which is no God. 10 But as for us, we have not forsaken the Lord our God. His priests the sons of Aaron, and the Levites minister to the Lord in their courses. 11 They burn to the Lord, every morning and evening, the whole burnt offering with the sacrifice of compound incense. We have the presence loaves set in order on the pure table, and the golden candlestick with the lamps for light, to be lighted every evening; for we keep the watches of the Lord, the God of our fathers, though you have forsaken him. 12 Now behold with us, at our head, is the Lord and his priests, and the trumpets of alarm to sound a charge against you. sons of Israel, fight not against the Lord God of your fathers, for it will not prosper with you. 13 Now Jeroboam had detached an ambuscade to come upon his rear. He was before Juda and the ambuscade was behind them. 14 And when Juda looked back behold the battle was both in front and in the rear. Thereupon they cried to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets, 15 and the men of Juda shouted. And when the men of Juda shouted, the Lord smote Jeroboam and Israel before Abia and Juda. 16 And the Israelites fled before Juda, and the Lord delivered them into their hands, 17 so that Abia and his people smote them with a great slaughter, and there fell of Israel, slain, fifty thousand warriors. 18 And the Israelites were humbled that day, and the sons of Juda prevailed because they trusted in the Lord God of their fathers. 19 And Abia continued the pursuit after Jeroboam and took from him the following cities, Baithel with the villages thereof, and Jesuna with the villages thereof, and Ephron with the villages thereof. 20 And Jeroboam did not again recover strength all the days of Abia. And the Lord smote him and he died; 21 but Abia became mighty. Having taken fourteen wives he had twenty two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 Now the rest of the acts of Abia, his transactions and affairs, are written in the book of the prophet Addo.