Abijah Succeeds Rehoboam in Judah
1 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah went to battle with an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men, and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with 800,000 chosen men, who were mighty men of valor.
Civil War against Jeroboam
4 Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: 5 Do you not know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons through a covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up, and rebelled against his lord. 7 Worthless men gathered around him, wicked men who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender hearted and could not withstand them.
8 Now you intend to stand against the kingdom of God, which is in the hand of one of the sons of David. You are a great multitude and have with you, the golden calves which Jeroboam made as gods for you. 9 Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves according to the ways of the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of those who are no gods.
10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests serving the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work, 11 and they present burnt offerings to the Lord every morning and every evening, burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also set the show bread in order on the pure table and the lamp stand of gold with its lamps, to burn every evening, for we keep the instruction of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12 The Lord is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. Israelites, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you will not prosper.”
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them, so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 When Judah looked back, the battle was in front of them and behind them, and they cried to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets.
15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout. As the men of Judah shouted, the Lord struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The Israelites fled before Judah, and the Lord delivered them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter, so 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell down slain. 18 Thus the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages.
The Death of Jeroboam
20 Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah. The Lord struck him, and he died.
21 But Abijah grew mighty and took for himself fourteen wives and became the father of 22 sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.