1In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. 2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men; and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who were mighty men of valor. 4Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: 5Ought you not to know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? 6Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up, and rebelled against his lord. 7Worthless men were gathered to him, wicked fellows 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 withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David. You are a great multitude, and the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods are with you. 9Haven’t you 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. 11They burn 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 care for the gold lamp stand with its lamps, to burn every evening; for we keep the instruction of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him. 12Behold, God is with us at our head, and His priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. Children of Israel, don’t fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers; for you will not prosper.”
13But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them; so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14When Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried to the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. 15Then the men of Judah gave a shout. As the men of Judah shouted, God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16The children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. 17Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter, so five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell down slain. 18Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19Abijah pursued Jeroboam, and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages.
20Jeroboam didn’t recover strength again in the days of Abijah. The Lord struck him, and he died. 21But Abijah grew mighty and took for himself fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayings are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.
1Anno octavodecimo regis Jeroboam, regnavit Abia super Judam. 2Tribus annis regnavit in Jerusalem, nomenque matris ejus Michaia filia Uriel de Gabaa: et erat bellum inter Abiam et Jeroboam. 3Cumque iniisset Abia certamen, et haberet bellicosissimos viros, et electorum quadringenta millia: Jeroboam instruxit econtra aciem octingenta millia virorum, qui et ipsi electi erant, et ad bella fortissimi. 4Stetit ergo Abia super montem Semeron, qui erat in Ephraim, et ait: Audi, Jeroboam, et omnis Israël. 5Num ignoratis quod Dominus Deus Israël dederit regnum David super Israël in sempiternum, ipsi et filiis ejus in pactum salis? 6Et surrexit Jeroboam filius Nabat, servus Salomonis filii David, et rebellavit contra dominum suum. 7Congregatique sunt ad eum viri vanissimi, et filii Belial, et prævaluerunt contra Roboam filium Salomonis: porro Roboam erat rudis, et corde pavido, nec potuit resistere eis. 8Nunc ergo vos dicitis quod resistere possitis regno Domini, quod possidet per filios David, habetisque grandem populi multitudinem, atque vitulos aureos quos fecit vobis Jeroboam in deos. 9Et ejecistis sacerdotes Domini, filios Aaron, atque Levitas, et fecistis vobis sacerdotes sicut omnes populi terrarum: quicumque venerit, et initiaverit manum suam in tauro de bobus, et in arietibus septem, fit sacerdos eorum qui non sunt dii. 10Noster autem Dominus, Deus est, quem non relinquimus, sacerdotesque ministrant Domino, de filiis Aaron, et Levitæ sunt in ordine suo: 11holocausta quoque offerunt Domino per singulos dies mane et vespere, et thymiama juxta legis præcepta confectum, et proponuntur panes in mensa mundissima, estque apud nos candelabrum aureum, et lucernæ ejus, ut accendantur semper ad vesperam: nos quippe custodimus præcepta Domini Dei nostri, quem vos reliquistis. 12Ergo in exercitu nostro dux Deus est, et sacerdotes ejus, qui clangunt tubis, et resonant contra vos: filii Israël, nolite pugnare contra Dominum Deum patrum vestrorum, quia non vobis expedit. 13Hæc illo loquente, Jeroboam retro moliebatur insidias. Cumque ex adverso hostium staret, ignorantem Judam suo ambiebat exercitu. 14Respiciensque Judas, vidit instare bellum ex adverso et post tergum, et clamavit ad Dominum, ac sacerdotes tubis canere cœperunt. 15Omnesque viri Juda vociferati sunt: et ecce illis clamantibus, perterruit Deus Jeroboam, et omnem Israël qui stabat ex adverso Abia et Juda. 16Fugeruntque filii Israël Judam, et tradidit eos Deus in manu eorum. 17Percussit ergo eos Abia et populus ejus plaga magna: et corruerunt vulnerati ex Israël quingenta millia virorum fortium. 18Humiliatique sunt filii Israël in tempore illo, et vehementissime confortati filii Juda, eo quod sperassent in Domino Deo patrum suorum. 19Persecutus est autem Abia fugientem Jeroboam, et cepit civitates ejus, Bethel et filias ejus, et Jesana cum filiabus suis, Ephron quoque et filias ejus: 20nec valuit ultra resistere Jeroboam in diebus Abia: quem percussit Dominus, et mortuus est. 21Igitur Abia, confortato imperio suo, accepit uxores quatuordecim: procreavitque viginti duos filios, et sedecim filias. 22Reliqua autem sermonum Abia, viarumque et operum ejus, scripta sunt diligentissime in libro Addo prophetæ.