Abijah

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

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

NoteGod's people were once one country. Later they split into two lands. The north was called Israel. The south was called Judah. Each land had its own king.

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

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

NoteJerusalem was the main city of Judah. God's special worship house was there.

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.

And 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.

NoteDavid was a famous king who lived long before. Abijam came from David's family.

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.

Nevertheless 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:

NoteA lamp here is a word picture. It means David's family kept on being kings. Their light did not go out.

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.

Because 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.

NoteUriah was a soldier in David's army. David wanted Uriah's wife. So David had Uriah sent where he would be killed. That was the one big wrong thing David did.

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

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

NoteRehoboam was Abijam's father. He was king of Judah before Abijam.

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.

Now 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.

NoteLong ago people wrote down what each king did. That book is lost now. Only the Bible's story is left.

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

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

NoteThe City of David was part of Jerusalem. Kings were buried there.

20Later he married Maachah, the daughter of Absalom. She gave him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.

NoteAbsalom was a son of King David. He once tried to take the throne from his father.

21Rehoboam loved Maachah more than any of his other wives. He had eighteen wives and sixty other women who lived as his wives. He had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)

NoteKings back then had many wives. Marrying into other families made those families friendly. The extra women were called concubines. They lived with the king but had less honor than a wife.

22Rehoboam made Abijah, Maachah's son, the leader of his brothers. He planned to make Abijah the next king.

And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.

NoteThe oldest son usually became king next. But a king could choose a different son instead. Rehoboam chose Abijah.

1Jeroboam was king of Israel. In his eighteenth year, Abijah became king of Judah.

Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.

NoteLong before this, the land split into two countries. The north was called Israel. The south was called Judah. Each one had its own king.

2Abijah ruled three years in the city of Jerusalem. His mother was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel from the town of Gibeah. Abijah and Jeroboam were at war with each other.

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.

NoteThe Bible often gives the name of a king's mother. She was an important person in the palace.

3Abijah lined up his army for battle. He had 400,000 brave, picked soldiers. Jeroboam lined up against him with 800,000 strong, picked soldiers.

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.

NoteThese are very big numbers for armies. The old word for "thousand" could also mean a smaller group of fighters.

4Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hills of Ephraim. He called out, "Listen to me, Jeroboam, and all of Israel!

And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;

NoteEphraim was one of the big family groups of Israel. The hills where they lived were named after them. Before a battle, a king would sometimes shout across to the other army.

5Don't you know this? The LORD, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom of Israel to David. He gave it to David and his sons forever, by a promise that would never break.

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?

NoteThe King James says "a covenant of salt." A covenant is a serious promise. Salt keeps food from going bad, so salt stood for a promise that would last.

6But Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, turned against King Solomon, whom he had served. Solomon was David's son, and Jeroboam refused to obey him.

Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.

NoteJeroboam once worked for King Solomon. Solomon put him in charge of work crews. Later Jeroboam turned against Solomon's family.

7Useless, wicked men gathered around Jeroboam. Together they stood against Rehoboam, Solomon's son. Rehoboam was young and unsure of himself. He could not stop them.

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.

NoteThe King James calls these men "the children of Belial." That was an old way to say very bad men. It does not mean their father was named Belial. It also calls Rehoboam "tenderhearted," which here means soft and not ready to be strong.

8Now you think you can beat the LORD's kingdom, which David's family rules. Yes, there are many of you. And you brought the gold calf statues Jeroboam made for you as gods.

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.

NoteJeroboam made two calf statues out of gold. He put them in his own country. That way his people would not travel to Jerusalem to worship.

9You chased away the LORD's priests, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites who helped them. Then you picked your own priests, the way other countries do. Anyone who brings a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of things that are not gods at all.

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.

NoteAaron was Moses' brother. God chose Aaron and his sons to be priests, the people who help others worship God. The Levites were the family group who helped the priests do their work. Bringing a young bull and seven rams was the gift a man gave to be made a priest.

10But the LORD is our God, and we have not left him. Our priests are the sons of Aaron, and they serve the LORD. The Levites do the work God gave them.

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:

11Every morning and every evening our priests burn gifts to the LORD. They burn sweet-smelling incense too. They set out the special bread in rows on the clean table. Every evening they light the lamps on the gold lampstand. We do what the LORD our God told us to do. But you have left him.

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.

NoteBurning gifts meant putting animals or grain on a fire as a present for God. Incense is a sweet-smelling stuff that makes nice smoke when it burns. The special bread was twelve loaves kept on a table in God's house. The gold lampstand held lamps that burned oil through the night.

12Look, God himself is with us. He is our leader. His priests are here with trumpets to sound the call against you. People of Israel, do not fight the LORD, the God of your fathers. You will not win."

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.

NoteThe priests blew long silver trumpets. The sound was a signal that told the soldiers to get ready.

13But Jeroboam had sent some soldiers around to hide behind Judah's army. So his men were in front of Judah, and the hidden men were behind them.

But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.

14Judah looked back and saw enemies in front and behind. They cried out to the LORD. The priests blew their trumpets.

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.

15Then the men of Judah gave a loud shout. As they shouted, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel. They fell before Abijah and Judah.

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.

16The men of Israel ran away from Judah. God handed them over to Judah.

And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.

17Abijah and his men beat them badly. Five hundred thousand picked men of Israel died.

And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.

18So Israel was beaten that day, and Judah won. Judah won because they trusted the LORD, the God of their fathers.

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.

19Abijah chased Jeroboam and took cities from him. He took Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephrain, along with their small towns.

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.

NoteBethel was one of the towns where Jeroboam kept a gold calf. Big towns had smaller villages around them, and taking the town meant taking those too.

20Jeroboam never got his power back while Abijah lived. The LORD struck him, and he died.

Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.

21But Abijah grew strong. He married fourteen wives. He had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

NoteKings often married many wives. A marriage could make peace between two families or two towns.

22The other things Abijah did and said were written down. They are in the book of the prophet Iddo, a man who told people what God said.

And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

NoteThe King James calls it "the story of the prophet Iddo." That was a book of records about the kings. Nobody has that book today.