15 Abijah became king of Judah after Nebat's son Jeroboam had been king of Israel for 18 years. 2 Abijah ruled in Jerusalem as king for three years. His mother's name was Maakah. She was the daughter of Abishalom. [ a ] 3 Abijah did the same bad things that his father had done before him. He did not serve the Lord his God faithfully, as his ancestor King David had done. 4 But the Lord his God gave Abijah a son to rule after him in Jerusalem. He also made Jerusalem a strong city. The Lord did that because of his promise to David. 5 David had always done things that pleased the Lord . David had obeyed the Lord 's commands in his whole life, except what he did to Uriah, the Hittite man. [ b ]
6 In Abijah's whole life, there was a war between the armies of Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
7 The other things that happened while Abijah was king are written in a book. The book is called ‘The history of Judah's kings’. It tells about all the things that Abijah did. While Abijah was king, there was war between his army and Jeroboam's army.
8 Abijah died and they buried him beside his ancestors in the City of David. Abijah's son Asa became king after him.
9 Asa became king of Judah when Jeroboam had been king of Israel for 20 years. 10 Asa ruled in Jerusalem as king for 41 years. His grandmother was Maakah. She was the daughter of Abishalom. 11 Asa did things that pleased the Lord , as his ancestor King David had done. 12 He removed the male prostitutes from the altars on the hills. He sent them out of Judah. He removed all the useless idols that his ancestors had made. 13 He also told his grandmother Maakah that she could no longer have authority as the Queen Mother. [ c ] This was because she had made a disgusting Asherah pole to worship. Asa cut down the Asherah pole and he burned it in the Kidron Valley. [ d ] 14 Asa did not remove the altars on all the hills, but he served the Lord faithfully for his whole life. 15 He brought into the Lord 's temple the things that he and his father had made as gifts to the Lord . They used silver and gold to make some of these things.
16 There was always a war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel while they ruled. 17 One time, Baasha attacked Judah. He put a group of his soldiers in Ramah and he made it a strong town. As a result, nobody could travel into Judah or out of Judah, where King Asa ruled. [ e ] 18 So Asa took all the silver and gold that they had stored in his palace and in the Lord 's temple. He gave it to his servants. He told them to take it to Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus. Ben-Hadad's father was Tabrimmon and his grandfather was Hezion. 19 Asa sent this message to Ben-Hadad: ‘We should make an agreement to be friends, as our fathers did. I am sending you this gift of silver and gold. Please stop being friends with Baasha, king of Israel. If you no longer help him, he will have to take his soldiers out of my country.’ 20 Ben-Hadad agreed to do what King Asa asked him to do. He sent his army with its leaders to attack towns in Israel. They won the battles at Ijon, Dan, Abel-Beth-Maakah, as well as the region of Kinnereth and the land of Naphtali. 21 When King Baasha heard this news, he stopped the work in Ramah. He left there and he went to live in Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa commanded all the men in Judah to do some hard work. Everyone had to do this: They must carry away from Ramah all the big stones and the wood that Baasha had been using there. Then King Asa used those things to make Geba (in Benjamin's land) and Mizpah strong towns again.
23 The other things that happened while Asa was king are written in a book. The book is called ‘The history of Judah's kings’. It tells about Asa's power and all the great things that he did. It also tells about the cities that he built. When Asa became an old man he had a disease in his feet.
24 Asa died and they buried him beside his ancestors in the City of David, his ancestor. Asa's son Jehoshaphat became king after him.
25 When Asa had been king of Judah for two years, Jeroboam's son became king of Israel. Nadab ruled Israel as king for two years. 26 He did things that the Lord said were evil. He did the same bad things that his father had done. He also caused the Israelites to do bad things.
27 Baasha decided to kill King Nadab. Baasha was Ahijah's son and he belonged to Issachar's tribe. This happened while Nadab and Israel's army were attacking Gibbethon, a town of the Philistines. 28 Baasha killed King Nadab in the third year that Asa was king of Judah. Baasha became king of Israel instead of Nadab.
29 When Baasha became king, he killed all Jeroboam's descendants. He did not leave anyone in Jeroboam's family alive. He killed them all. The Lord had already said that this would happen. He had given the message to his servant Ahijah, who was from Shiloh. [ f ] 30 This happened because of Jeroboam's sins, and the sins which he caused the Israelites to do. These sins had made the Lord , Israel's God, very angry.
31 The other things that happened while Nadab was king are written in a book. The book is called ‘The history of Israel's kings’. It tells about all the things that Nadab did. 32 There was always a war between the armies of King Asa and King Nadab.
33 In the third year that Asa was king of Judah, Ahijah's son Baasha became the king of all Israel. He was living in Tirzah. Baasha ruled as king for 24 years. [ g ] 34 Baasha did things that the Lord said were evil. He did the same sins that Jeroboam had done. He also caused the Israelites to do those bad things.
15 Abijah became the new king of Judah during the 18th year that Jeroboam son of Nebat ruled Israel. 2 Abijah ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mother’s name was Maacah. She was Absalom’s daughter.
3 He did all the same sins that his father before him had done. Abijah was not faithful to the Lord his God. In this way he was not like his grandfather, David. 4 But for David’s sake, the Lord gave Abijah a kingdom in Jerusalem and allowed him to have a son. He also kept Jerusalem safe. 5 David had always done what the Lord said was right. He had always obeyed his commands. The only time David did not obey the Lord was when he sinned against Uriah the Hittite.
6 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were always fighting against each other. [ a ] 7 The rest of what Abijah did is written in the book, The History of the Kings of Judah .
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam during the whole time that Abijah was king. 8 When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Abijah’s son Asa became the new king after him.
9 During Jeroboam’s 20th year as king over Israel, Asa became king of Judah. 10 He ruled in Jerusalem for 41 years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah, and she was the daughter of Absalom.
11 Asa did what the Lord said is right, as his ancestor David did. 12 During Asa’s time there were men who served other gods by selling their bodies for sex. Asa forced them to leave the country. He took away the idols that his ancestors had made. 13 King Asa also took away the right of his mother Maacah to be queen mother. He did this because she had set up one of those awful Asherah poles. Asa cut down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 Asa did not destroy the high places, even though he was faithful to the Lord all his life. 15 Asa and his father had given some special gifts to God. Asa put these gifts of gold, silver, and other things in the Lord ’s Temple.
16 The whole time that King Asa was king of Judah, he fought a war against King Baasha of Israel. 17 Once Baasha attacked Judah and then built up the city of Ramah to keep Asa from leaving Judah on any kind of military campaign. 18 So Asa took gold and silver from the treasuries of the Lord ’s Temple and the king’s palace. He gave it to his officials and sent them to King Ben-Hadad of Aram. Ben-Hadad was the son of Tabrimmon. Tabrimmon was the son of Hezion. Damascus was Ben-Hadad’s capital city. 19 Asa sent this message: “My father and your father had a peace agreement. Now I want to make a peace agreement with you. I am sending you this gift of gold and silver. Please break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel and make him leave us alone.”
20 King Ben-Hadad made the agreement with King Asa and sent his army to fight against the Israelite towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, the towns near Lake Galilee, and the area of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard about these attacks, he stopped building up Ramah and went back to Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa gave an order to all the men in Judah. Everyone had to help. They had to go to Ramah and carry out all the stone and wood that Baasha was using to build up the city. They carried the material to Geba in Benjamin and to Mizpah and used it to strengthen those two cities.
23 All the other things about Asa—the great things he did and the cities he built—are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Judah . When Asa became old, his feet became infected. 24 He died and was buried in the City of David, his ancestor. Then Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became the new king after him.
25 During Asa’s second year as king of Judah, Jeroboam’s son Nadab became king of Israel. Nadab ruled over Israel for two years. 26 He did what the Lord said was wrong. He sinned just as his father Jeroboam did when he caused the Israelites to sin.
27 Baasha was the son of Ahijah. They were from the tribe of Issachar. Baasha made a plan to kill King Nadab. Nadab and all Israel were fighting against the Philistine town of Gibbethon. And that is where Baasha killed Nadab. 28 This happened during Asa’s third year as king of Judah. So Baasha became the next king of Israel.
29 When Baasha became the new king, he killed everyone in Jeroboam’s family. He left no one in Jeroboam’s family alive. This happened just as the Lord said it would when he spoke through his servant Ahijah at Shiloh. 30 This happened because King Jeroboam had committed many sins and had caused the Israelites to sin. This made the Lord , the God of Israel, very angry.
31 The other things that Nadab did are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Israel . 32 All during the time that Baasha ruled over Israel, he was fighting wars against King Asa of Judah.
33 Ahijah’s son Baasha became king of Israel during the third year that Asa ruled over Judah. Baasha ruled in Tirzah for 24 years, 34 but he did what the Lord said was wrong. He did the same sins that Jeroboam had done that caused the Israelites to sin.
15 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.
2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. and his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.
3 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.
4 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:
5 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.
6 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
7 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.
8 And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.
9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.
10 And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.
11 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord , as did David his father.
12 And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
13 And 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.
14 But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days.
15 And 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.
16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
17 And 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.
18 Then 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,
19 There 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.
20 So 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.
21 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.
22 Then 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.
23 The 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.
24 And 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.
25 And 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.
26 And 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.
27 And 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.
28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.
29 And 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:
30 Because 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.
31 Now 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?
32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
33 In 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.
34 And 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.
15 ( A ) Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [ a ] ( B ) Maacah the daughter of [ b ] ( C ) Abishalom. 3 He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and ( D ) his heart was not [ c ] wholly devoted to the Lord his God, like the heart of his father David. 4 But for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a ( E ) lamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem, 5 ( F ) because David did what was right in the sight of the Lord , and did not deviate from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, ( G ) except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. 6 ( H ) And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
7 Now as for ( I ) 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? ( J ) And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
8 ( K ) And Abijam [ d ] lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and his son Asa became king in his place.
9 So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king of Judah. 10 He reigned for forty-one years in Jerusalem; and ( L ) his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 Now ( M ) Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord , like his father David. 12 ( N ) He also removed the male cult prostitutes from the land and ( O ) removed all the idols which his fathers had made. 13 And even his mother Maacah, ( P ) he also removed her from the position of queen mother, because she had made an abominable image [ e ] as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her abominable image and ( Q ) burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 ( R ) But the high places [ f ] were not eliminated; nevertheless ( S ) Asa’s heart was [ g ] wholly devoted to the Lord all his days. 15 And ( T ) he brought into the house of the Lord the [ h ] holy gifts of his father and his own [ i ] holy gifts: silver, gold, and valuable utensils.
16 ( U ) Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 ( V ) Baasha king of Israel marched against Judah and [ j ] ( W ) fortified Ramah ( X ) in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then ( Y ) Asa took all the silver and the gold that was left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king’s house, and handed it over to his servants. And ( Z ) King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived in ( AA ) Damascus, saying, 19 “ Let’s make a ( AB ) treaty between [ k ] you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” 20 So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and [ l ] conquered ( AC ) Ijon, ( AD ) Dan, ( AE ) Abel-beth-maacah, and all ( AF ) Chinneroth, besides all the land of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard about it , ( AG ) he stopped [ m ] fortifying Ramah and remained in ( AH ) Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had built fortifications . And King Asa built with them ( AI ) Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.
23 ( AJ ) Now as for the 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? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa [ n ] lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David; and his son ( AK ) Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.
25 Now ( AL ) Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years. 26 He did evil in the sight of the Lord , and ( AM ) walked in the way of his father and ( AN ) in his sin into which he misled Israel. 27 Then ( AO ) Baasha the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha struck and killed him at ( AP ) Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.
28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. 29 And as soon as he was king, he struck and killed all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave Jeroboam any [ o ] persons alive, but kept killing until he had eliminated them, ( AQ ) in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30 and because of the sins of Jeroboam which he [ p ] committed, and into ( AR ) which he misled Israel, because of his provocation with which he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.
31 ( AS ) Now as for 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?
32 ( AT ) And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned for twenty-four years. 34 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord , and ( AU ) walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin into which he misled Israel.
15 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah [ a ] became king of Judah, 2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah ( B ) daughter of Abishalom. [ b ]
3 He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted ( C ) to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. 4 Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp ( D ) in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. 5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep ( E ) any of the Lord ’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah ( F ) the Hittite.
6 There was war ( G ) between Abijah [ c ] and Jeroboam throughout Abijah’s lifetime. 7 As for the other events of Abijah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 8 And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Asa his son succeeded him as king.
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, 10 and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah ( J ) daughter of Abishalom.
11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord , as his father David ( K ) had done. 12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes ( L ) from the land and got rid of all the idols ( M ) his ancestors had made. 13 He even deposed his grandmother Maakah ( N ) from her position as queen mother, ( O ) because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down ( P ) and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 Although he did not remove ( Q ) the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed ( R ) to the Lord all his life. 15 He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. ( S )
16 There was war ( T ) between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns. 17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah ( U ) to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.
18 Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord ’s temple ( V ) and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent ( W ) them to Ben-Hadad ( X ) son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 19 “Let there be a treaty ( Y ) between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”
20 Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. He conquered ( Z ) Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah and all Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah ( AA ) and withdrew to Tirzah. ( AB ) 22 Then King Asa issued an order to all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away from Ramah ( AC ) the stones and timber Baasha had been using there. With them King Asa ( AD ) built up Geba ( AE ) in Benjamin, and also Mizpah. ( AF )
23 As for all the other events of Asa’s reign, all his achievements, all he did and the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? In his old age, however, his feet became diseased. 24 Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And Jehoshaphat ( AG ) his son succeeded him as king.
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did evil ( AH ) in the eyes of the Lord , following the ways of his father ( AI ) and committing the same sin his father had caused Israel to commit.
27 Baasha son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar plotted against him, and he struck him down ( AJ ) at Gibbethon, ( AK ) a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging it. 28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and succeeded him as king.
29 As soon as he began to reign, he killed Jeroboam’s whole family. ( AL ) He did not leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all, according to the word of the Lord given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30 This happened because of the sins ( AM ) Jeroboam had committed and had caused ( AN ) Israel to commit, and because he aroused the anger of the Lord , the God of Israel.
31 As for the other events of Nadab’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals ( AO ) of the kings of Israel? 32 There was war ( AP ) between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel in Tirzah, ( AQ ) and he reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did evil ( AR ) in the eyes of the Lord , following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.
