| International Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1During the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. | 1In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah, |
| 2He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Uriel's daughter Micaiah from Gibeah. A war started between Abijah and Jeroboam. | 2and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother's name was Maakah, a daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. |
| 3Abijah started the battle with an army of 400,000 specially chosen valiant soldiers, but Jeroboam opposed him with 800,000 specially chosen valiant soldiers. | 3Abijah went into battle with an army of four hundred thousand able fighting men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand able troops. |
| 4Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and announced: "Listen to me, Jeroboam and Israel! | 4Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me! |
| 5Don't you know that the LORD God of Israel assigned the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever by a salt covenant? | 5Don't you know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? |
| 6Even so, Nebat's son Jeroboam, who used to serve David's son Solomon, rose in rebellion against his own master! | 6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled against his master. |
| 7Useless troublemakers soon gathered around him, who turned out to be too strong for Rehoboam, because he was young, timid, and unable to withstand them. | 7Some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive and not strong enough to resist them. |
| 8"So now you think you'll be able to withstand the LORD's kingdom as controlled by David's descendants, just because you have a large crown and have brought with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. | 8"And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hands of David's descendants. You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. |
| 9Haven't you already driven away the LORD's priests, the descendants of Aaron and the descendants of Levi? Haven't you established your own priests like the people of other lands? | 9But didn't you drive out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods. |
| 10"Now as far as we're concerned, the LORD is our God, and we haven't abandoned him. The descendants of Aaron are ministering to the LORD as priests, and the descendants of Levi continue their work. | 10"As for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. |
| 11Every morning and evening, they're offering burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD, the showbread is set out on the pure table, and they take care of the golden lamp stand so its lamps can continue to burn every evening. We continue to be faithful over what the LORD our God entrusted to us, but you have abandoned him. | 11Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the LORD our God. But you have forsaken him. |
| 12Now listen! God is with us to lead us, and his priests are about to sound their battle trumpets against you. Descendants of Israel, don't fight against the LORD God of your ancestors, because you won't succeed!" | 12God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed." |
| 13But Jeroboam had sent an ambush to attack from the rear, so Israel was in front of Judah, with the ambush set in place behind them. | 13Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them. |
| 14When the army of Judah turned around to look, they were being attacked from both front and rear, so they cried out to the LORD while the priests sounded their trumpets. | 14Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the LORD. The priests blew their trumpets |
| 15Then the army of Judah sounded a war cry, and God routed Jeroboam and the entire army of Israel in front of Abijah and Judah. | 15and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. |
| 16When the descendants of Israel ran away from the army of Judah, God handed them over to the army of Judah. | 16The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. |
| 17Abijah and his army defeated them in a tremendous slaughter that resulted in 500,000 special forces from Israel being slain. | 17Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel's able men. |
| 18And so the descendants of Israel were defeated at that time. The descendants of Judah were victorious because they trusted in the LORD God of their ancestors. | 18The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the LORD, the God of their ancestors. |
| 19After this Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured Bethel and its villages, Jeshanah and its villages, and Ephron and its villages. | 19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. |
| 20Jeroboam never recovered his strength for the rest of Abijah's life. The LORD struck Jeroboam, and he died, | 20Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the LORD struck him down and he died. |
| 21but Abijah continued to grow more powerful. He took fourteen wives for himself and fathered 22 sons and sixteen daughters. | 21But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. |
| 22The rest of Abijah's accomplishments, his lifestyle and his memoirs are recorded in the Midrash of the Prophet Iddo. | 22The other events of Abijah's reign, what he did and what he said, are written in the annotations of the prophet Iddo. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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