Bible, King James Version
2_Chronicles
2Chr.13
[1] Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began
Abijah to reign over Judah.
[2] He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name
also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was
war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
[3] And Abijah set the battle in array with an 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, being mighty men of valour.
[4] And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in
mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all
Israel;
[5] Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave
the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his
sons by a covenant of salt?
[6] Yet 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 unto him vain men, the children
of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the
son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and
could not withstand them.
[8] And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD
in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude,
and there are with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for
gods.
[9] Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons
of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the
manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to
consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same
may be a priest of them that are no gods.
[10] But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not
forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are
the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:
[11] And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every
evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also
set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of
gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep
the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.
[12] And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain,
and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you.
O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your
fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
[13] But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about
behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was
behind them.
[14] And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was
before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests
sounded with the trumpets.
[15] Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of
Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all
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 them with a great
slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred
thousand chosen men.
[18] Thus the children of Israel were brought under at
that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they
relied upon the LORD God of their fathers.
[19] And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities
from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshnah with the
towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.
[20] Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the
days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.
[21] But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives,
and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.
[22] And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and
his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
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