1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah
2 and reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. When war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam,
3 Abijah took the field with an army of four hundred thousand picked warriors, while Jeroboam took the field against him with eight hundred thousand picked warriors.
4 Abijah took position on Mount Zemaraim, in the highlands of Ephraim. 'Jeroboam and all Israel,' he cried, 'listen to me!
5 Do you not know that Yahweh, God of Israel, has given eternal sovereignty of Israel to David and his sons by an inviolable covenant?
6 Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, the slave of Solomon son of David, rose in revolt against his master.
7 Worthless men, scoundrels, rallied to him, proving too strong for Rehoboam son of Solomon, as Rehoboam was then inexperienced and timid and unable to resist them.
8 And now you propose to resist Yahweh's sovereignty as exercised by the sons of David because there is a great number of you and you have 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 to get himself consecrated can become priest of these gods that are no gods.
10 But for our part, our God is Yahweh, and we have not abandoned him; our priests are sons of Aaron who minister to Yahweh, and those who serve are Levites;
11 morning after morning, evening after evening, they present burnt offerings and perfumed incense to Yahweh, they put the bread of permanent offering on the clean table and nightly light the lamps on the golden lamp-stand; for we keep the decree of Yahweh our God, although you have abandoned him.
12 See how God is with us, at our head, and his priests with trumpets to sound the alarm against you! Israelites, do not make war on Yahweh, God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.'
13 Now Jeroboam had sent a party round to ambush them from the rear; thus the main force confronted Judah and the ambush lay to their rear.
14 And when Judah looked round, they found themselves being attacked from front and rear. They called on Yahweh, the priests sounded the trumpets,
15 and the men of Judah raised the war cry and, as they raised the cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 So the Israelites fled before Judah, because God had given Judah the upper hand,
17 and Abijah and his army inflicted a great slaughter on them: five hundred thousand of Israel's picked men fell, killed.
18 So the Israelites were humbled on that occasion, while the Judaeans won, since they had relied on Yahweh, God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam, taking from him the towns of Bethel with its dependencies, Jeshanah with its dependencies and Ephron with its dependencies,
20 nor did Jeroboam regain strength during Abijah's lifetime. Eventually Yahweh struck him and he died,
21 but Abijah grew stronger than ever; he married fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 The rest of the history of Abijah, his conduct and his sayings, are recorded in the midrash of the prophet Iddo.
23 When Abijah fell asleep with his ancestors, he was buried 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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