2 Chronicles, 13

1. Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.

1. In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king of 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.

2. and reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Micaiah, daughter of Uriel, from Giveah. Abijah and Jeroboam were at war.

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.

3. Abijah went into battle with an army of brave fighters, four hundred thousand picked men, while Jeroboam drew up his battle line against him with eight hundred thousand picked men, brave soldiers.

4. And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which [is] in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;

4. Abijah went up Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and cried, "Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me!

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?

5. Do you know that Yahweh the God of Israel has given the kingship of Israel to David forever? It is an unbreakable covenant for him and for his sons.

6. Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.

6. Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, has rebelled against his king;

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.

7. worthless men, scoundrels, have rallied to him and opposed Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. Rehoboam, then a young man and timid, was unable to resist 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.

8. Now you propose to subdue the Kingdom of Yahweh that he gave to David's descendants. You stand here with a huge army, but you are bringing the golden calves that 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.

9. Have you not driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, to make priests of your own like the peoples of foreign countries? Anyone who comes with a bull and seven rams can ask to be consecrated and become priest of what is no god at all!

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:

10. As for us, our God is Yahweh, and we have not abandoned him: the sons of Aaron minister to Yahweh, and the Levites as well.

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.

11. Every morning, every evening, we burn burnt offerings to Yahweh our God, we have the incense of sweet spices, the loaves set out in rows on the pure table, the golden lampstand with its lamps that burn each evening; for we observe the ritual of Yahweh our God, that you have abandoned.

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.

12. See how God is with us, at our head; see his priests with the trumpets, which they will sound against you. People of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of our ancestors, for you will not succeed."

13. But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment [was] behind them.

13. Jeroboam outflanked the Judaeans by setting an ambush behind them; the Judaeans were facing the Israelites with the ambush at their rear.

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.

14. The Judaeans, turning about, found themselves attacked from the front and the rear. They called on Yahweh and while the priests sounded 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.

15. the men of Judah raised the war cry. And as they raised the war cry, God scattered Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and the people of Judah.

16. And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.

16. The Israelites fled before Judah and God delivered them into the power of the Judaeans.

17. And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.

17. Abijah and his army inflicted a crushing defeat on them: five hundred thousand of Israel's chosen men were killed.

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.

18. And so the people of Israel were humbled and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.

19. And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.

19. Abijah pursued Jeroboam's army and captured towns from him: Bethel with its outlying villages, Jeshanah with its outlying villages and Ephron with its outlying villages.

20. Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.

20. So in the lifetime of Abijah, Jeroboam could no longer maintain his power. Yahweh struck him down, and he died.

21. But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

21. But Abijah grew in strength; he took fourteen wives and had twenty-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.

22. The rest of the history of Abijah, his conduct and his deeds, is not all this recorded in the commentary of the prophet Iddo? Then Abijah rested with his fathers and they buried him in the City of David; his son Asa succeeded him. In his time the country was at peace for ten years.