1 Kings 15

Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.

1Jeroboam, son of Nebat, was king of Israel. In his eighteenth year as king, Abijam became king of Judah.

2Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

2Abijam was king in the city of Jerusalem for three years. His mother was named Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

3And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.

3Abijam did the same wrong things his father had done before him. His heart did not belong fully to the LORD his God. King David, his ancestor, had loved God with his whole heart.

4Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:

4Even so, the LORD his God still cared about David. So God gave David's family a lamp that kept burning in Jerusalem. God gave Abijam a son to be king after him. And God kept the city of Jerusalem strong.

NoteA "lamp" here means a family line that keeps going. God was promising that David's family would keep having a king.

5Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

5David had done what was right to the LORD. All his life, David obeyed everything God told him. There was only one time he did not: what he did to Uriah the Hittite.

6And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

6There was fighting between Rehoboam and Jeroboam the whole time.

7Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

7The other things Abijam did are written in another book. It is the book of the history of the kings of Judah. There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.

8Then Abijam died, like his ancestors before him. They buried him in the City of David. His son Asa became king in his place.

9And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.

9In the twentieth year that Jeroboam was king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah.

10And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

10Asa was king in Jerusalem for forty-one years. His grandmother was named Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

NoteThe KJV says "his mother," but Maachah was the same woman named in verse 2, Abijam's mother. So she was really Asa's grandmother. In that time, "mother" could also mean an older woman in the family.

11And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.

11Asa did what was right to the LORD. He was like his ancestor David.

12And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

12Asa sent away the men who sold their bodies at the idol temples. He also got rid of all the idols his family had made.

13And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.

13Asa even took away his grandmother Maachah's place of honor as queen. She had made an ugly idol pole for a false god. Asa chopped her idol down and burned it by the Kidron brook.

NoteThe KJV word "grove" means a tall wooden pole set up to honor a false god. It was not a group of trees.

14But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.

14The high places, where people gave gifts to false gods, were not taken away. Still, Asa's heart belonged fully to the LORD all his life.

15And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.

15Asa brought silver, gold, and dishes into the LORD's house. He and his father had set these things apart for God.

16And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

16There was war between Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, all their days.

17And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

17Baasha, king of Israel, came to fight against Judah. He built up the town of Ramah with strong walls. He wanted to stop anyone from going in or out of Asa's land.

18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

18So Asa took all the silver and gold left in the LORD's house. He also took the treasure from his own palace. He gave it to his servants to carry. King Asa sent them to Benhadad, the king of Syria, who lived in Damascus. Benhadad was the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion. Asa sent this message:

19There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

19"Let us be friends, you and me, like our fathers were. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Please break your promise with Baasha, the king of Israel. Then he will go away and leave me alone."

20So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.

20Benhadad listened to King Asa. He sent his army leaders to attack the cities of Israel. They beat Ijon, Dan, and Abelbethmaachah. They took all of Cinneroth and all the land of Naphtali.

21And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.

21When Baasha heard this news, he stopped building up Ramah. He went back and stayed in the city of Tirzah.

22Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

22Then King Asa called every man in Judah, with no one left out. They carried away the stones and wood Baasha had used at Ramah. With them, King Asa built up Geba in Benjamin, and Mizpah.

23The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.

23The other things Asa did are written in another book. It tells of his strength, his deeds, and the cities he built. It is the book of the history of the kings of Judah. When Asa was old, his feet became sick.

24And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.

24Then Asa died, like his ancestors before him. He was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place.

25And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.

25Nadab, son of Jeroboam, became king of Israel. This was in Asa's second year as king of Judah. Nadab was king of Israel for two years.

26And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

26Nadab did evil things that the LORD could see. He lived the same way his father had lived. He led the people of Israel to sin, just as his father did.

27And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.

27Baasha, son of Ahijah, was from the family group of Issachar. He made a secret plan against Nadab. He killed Nadab at Gibbethon, a Philistine town. Nadab and all Israel were surrounding that town to take it.

28Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.

28Baasha killed Nadab in the third year that Asa was king of Judah. Then Baasha became king in Nadab's place.

29And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite:

29As soon as Baasha was king, he killed everyone in Jeroboam's family. He did not leave one person alive who was breathing. This happened just as the LORD had said it would. God had said it through his servant Ahijah from Shiloh.

30Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.

30This happened because of the sins Jeroboam did. He also led the people of Israel to sin. His sins made the LORD, the God of Israel, angry.

31Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

31The other things Nadab did are written in another book. It is the book of the history of the kings of Israel.

32And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

32There was war between Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, all their days.

33In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years.

33In Asa's third year as king of Judah, Baasha became king. Baasha, son of Ahijah, ruled all Israel from the city of Tirzah. He was king for twenty-four years.

34And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

34Baasha did evil things that the LORD could see. He lived the same way Jeroboam had lived. He led the people of Israel to sin, just as Jeroboam did.