2 Tawarikh 13:1-12

Abijah’s Reign

13:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 13:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. ¹  His mother was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. ² 

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 13:3 Abijah launched the attack with 400,000 well-trained warriors, ³  while Jeroboam deployed against him 800,000 well-trained warriors. ⁴ 

13:4 Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 13:5 Don’t you realize that the Lord God of Israel has given David and his dynasty lasting dominion over Israel by a formal agreement? ⁵  13:6 Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 13:7 Lawless good-for-nothing men ⁶  gathered around him and conspired ⁷  against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was an inexperienced young man ⁸  and could not resist them. 13:8 Now you are declaring that you will resist the Lord’s rule through the Davidic dynasty. ⁹  You have a huge army, ¹⁰  and bring with you the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 13:9 But you banished ¹¹  the Lord’s priests, Aaron’s descendants, and the Levites, and appointed your own priests just as the surrounding nations do! Anyone who comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of these fake gods! ¹²  13:10 But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not rejected him. Aaron’s descendants serve as the Lord’s priests and the Levites assist them with the work. ¹³  13:11 They offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord every morning and every evening, along with fragrant incense. They arrange the Bread of the Presence on a ritually clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. Certainly ¹⁴  we are observing the Lord our God’s regulations, but you have rejected him. 13:12 Now look, God is with us as our leader. His priests are ready to blow the trumpets to signal the attack against you. ¹⁵  You Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, ¹⁶  for you will not win!”

[13:2]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[13:2]  ² tn The parallel text in 1 Kgs 15:1 identifies his mother as “Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom” [=Absalom, 2 Chr 11:20). Although most English versions identify the mother’s father as Uriel of Gibeah, a number of English versions substitute the name “Maacah” here for the mother (e.g., NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT).

[13:3]  ³ tn Heb “and Abijah bound [i.e., began] the battle with a force of warriors, four hundred thousand chosen men.”

[13:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “and Jeroboam arranged with him [for] battle with eight hundred thousand chosen men, strong warrior[s].”

[13:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel has given kingship to David over Israel permanently, to him and to his sons [by] a covenant of salt?”

[13:5]  sn For other references to a “covenant of salt,” see Lev 2:13 and Num 18:19.

[13:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “empty men, sons of wickedness.”

[13:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “strengthened themselves.”

[13:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “a young man and tender of heart.”

[13:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “the kingdom of the Lord by the hand of the sons of David.”

[13:8]  ¹⁰ tn Or “horde”; or “multitude.”

[13:9]  ¹¹ tn In the Hebrew text this is phrased as a rhetorical question, “Did you not banish?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you did,” the force of which is reflected in the translation “But you banished.”

[13:9]  ¹² tn Heb “whoever comes to fill his hand with a bull of a son of cattle, and seven rams, and he is a priest to no-gods.”

[13:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “and priests serving the Lord [are] the sons of Aaron and the Levites in the work.”

[13:11]  ¹⁴ tn Or “for.”

[13:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and his priests and the trumpets of the war alarm [are ready] to sound out against you.”

[13:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 18).