1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah
2 and reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Micaiah, daughter of Uriel, from Giveah. Abijah and Jeroboam were at war.
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 Abijah went up Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and cried, "Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me!
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 son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, has rebelled against his king;
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 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 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 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 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 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 Jeroboam outflanked the Judaeans by setting an ambush behind them; the Judaeans were facing the Israelites with the ambush at their rear.
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 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 The Israelites fled before Judah and God delivered them into the power of the Judaeans.
17 Abijah and his army inflicted a crushing defeat on them: five hundred thousand of Israel's chosen men were killed.
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 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 So in the lifetime of Abijah, Jeroboam could no longer maintain his power. Yahweh struck him down, and he died.
21 But Abijah grew in strength; he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
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.
Versículos relacionados com 2 Chronicles, 13:
2 Chronicles 13 narrates the war between Abias, king of Judah, and Jeroboam king of Israel, who had rebelled against Roban and formed a separated kingdom. During the battle, Abias gives a speech that resembles the people of Judah of the covenant that God made with David and his descendants, and how this covenant gave them the moral advantage over Israel.
Psalm 78:9: "The sons of Ephraim, armed and bringing arcs, turned their backs on the day of battle." This verse talks about the betrayal and desertion of a tribe of Israel during a battle, which could have been similar to the betrayal of Jeroboam by some of his men.
Psalm 78:35: "And they remembered that God was his rock, and the Most High God His Redeemer." This verse recalls the importance of trusting God and remembering his promises during difficult times, such as the battle between Judah and Israel.
Psalm 78:71: "From after the sheep he gave him pastor, and Jacob, his people, Israel, his inheritance." This verse talks about how God chose David, a simple shepherd of sheep, to be the king of Israel and lead his people, remembering the covenant made with David that Abias mentions in his speech.
Isaiah 55:3: "Include the ears, and come to me; I hear, and your soul will live; for I will make a perpetual pact, giving you the firm benefits of David." This verse talks about God's invitation to his people, offering them life and a perpetual covenant, which can be interpreted as a reference to God's covenant with David that Abias mentions.
Psalm 33:16: "There is no king who saves himself with the great army; not even the brave man gets rid of much strength." This verse recalls that victory in a battle depends not only on the size or strength of the army, but also on the will of God and the justice of the cause.
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