II Chronicles Chapter 13

II Chronicles Chapter 13
1 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam
began Abijah to reign over Judah. 2 He
reigned three year in Jerusalem: (his
mother’s name also was Michaiah
[Maacah] the daughter of Uriel of
Gibea) and there was war between
Abijah and Jeroboam.
3 And Abijah set the battle in array with
the army of valiant men of war, even
four hundred thousand chosen men.
Jeroboam also set the battle in array
against him with eight hundred thousand
chosen men which were strong and
valiant.
4 And Abijah stood up upon mount
Zemeraim, which is in mount Ephraim,
and said, O Jeroboam, and all Israel,
hear you me,
5 Ought you not to know that the Lord
God of Israel hath given the kingdom
over Israel to David forever, even to
him and to his sons by a covenant of
salt?
6 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat the
servant of Solomon the son of David is
risen up, and hath rebelled against his
lord:
7 And there are gathered to him vain
men and wicked, and made themselves
strong against Rehoboam the son of
Solomon: for Rehoboam was but a child
and tender hearted, and could not resist
them.
8 Now therefore ye think that ye be able
to resist against the kingdom of the Lord,
which is in the hands of the sons of
David, and ye be a great multitude, and
the golden calves are with you which
Jeroboam made you for gods. 9 Have ye
not driven away the priests of the Lord
the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and
have made you priests like the people of
other countries?
Whosoever cometh to consecrate with a
young bullock and seven rams, the same
may be a priest of them that are no gods.
10 But we belong unto the Lord our God,
and have not forsaken him, and the
priests the sons of Aaron minister unto
the Lord, and the Levites in their office.
11 And they burn unto the Lord every
morning and every evening burnt
offerings and sweet incense, and the
bread is set in order upon the pure table,
and the candlestick of gold with the
lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for
we keep the watch of the Lord our God:
but ye have forsaken him. 12 And
behold, this God is with us, as a captain,
and his priests with the sounding
trumpets, to cry an alarm against you. O
ye children of Israel, fight not against the
Lord God of your fathers: for ye shall
not prosper. 13 But Jeroboam caused an
ambushment to compass, and come
behind them, when they were before
Judah, and the ambushment behind them.
14 Then Judah looked, and behold, the
battle was before and behind them, and
they cried unto the Lord, and the priests
blew with the trumpets, 15 And the men
of Judah gave a shout: and even as the
men of Judah shouted, God smote
Jeroboam and also Israel before Abijah
and Judah. 16 And the children of Israel
fled before Judah, and God delivered
them into their hand.
17 And Abijah and his people slew a
great slaughter of them, so that there fell
down wounded of Israel five hundred
thousand chosen men.
18 So the children of Israel were
brought under at that time: and the
children of Judah prevailed, because
they stayed upon the Lord God of their
fathers. 19 And Abijah pursued after
Jeroboam, and took cities from him,
even Bethel, and the villages thereof,
and Jeshanah with her villages, and
Ephron with her villages.
20 And Jeroboam recovered no strength
again in the days of Abijah, but the Lord
plagued him, and he died.
21 So Abijah waxed mighty, and
married fourteen wives, and begat two
and twenty sons, and sixteen daughters.
22 The rest of the acts of Abijah and his
manners and his sayings are written in
the story of the prophet Iddo.