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 Jeshanah 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.
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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