Dual Panel1IN the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam's reign Abijah became king of Judah.
2He reigned in Jerusalem for three years; his mother was Maacah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. When war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam,
3Abijah drew up his army of four hundred thousand picked troops in order of battle, while Jeroboam formed up against him with eight hundred thousand picked troops.
4Abijah stood up on the slopes of Mount Zemaraim in the hill-country of Ephraim and called out, “Jeroboam and all Israel, hear me:
5Do you not know that the LORD the God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants for ever by a covenant of salt?
6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose in rebellion against his lord,
7and certain worthless scoundrels gathered round him, who stubbornly opposed Solomon's son Rehoboam when he was young and inexperienced, and he was no match for them.
8“Now you propose to match yourselves against the kingdom of the LORD as ruled by David's sons, you with your mob of supporters and the golden calves which Jeroboam has made to be your gods.
9Have you not dismissed from office the Aaronites, priests of the LORD, and the Levites, and followed the practice of other lands in appointing your own priests? If any man comes for ordination with an offering of a young bull and seven rams, you accept him as a priest to a god who is no god.
10“But as for us, the LORD is our God and we have not forsaken him. We have Aaronites as priests ministering to the LORD with the Levites, duly discharging their office.
11Morning and evening, these burn whole-offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD and offer the Bread of the Presence arranged in rows on a table ritually clean; they also kindle the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. Thus we do indeed keep the charge of the LORD our God, whereas you have forsaken him.
12God is with us at our head, and his priests stand there with trumpets to signal the battle cry against you. Men of Israel, do not fight the LORD the God of your forefathers; you will have no success.”
13Jeroboam sent a detachment of his troops to go round and lay an ambush in the rear, so that his main body faced Judah while the ambush lay behind them.
14The men of Judah turned to find that they were engaged front and rear. They cried to the LORD for help; the priests sounded their trumpets,
15and the men of Judah raised their battle cry; and when they shouted, God put Jeroboam and all Israel to rout before Abijah and Judah.
16The Israelites fled before the men of Judah, and God delivered them into their power.
17Abijah and his men defeated them with very heavy losses: five hundred thousand picked men of Israel fell in the battle.
18On that occasion the Israelites had to submit; Judah prevailed because they relied on the LORD the God of their forefathers.
19Abijah pressed home his victory over Jeroboam by capturing from him the cities of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron with their villages.
20Jeroboam did not regain his power all the days of Abijah; finally the LORD struck him down and he died.
21But Abijah established his position; he married fourteen wives and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22The other events of Abijah's reign, both what he said and what he did, are recorded in the discourse of the prophet Iddo.