Rehoboam's death.

II. CHRONICLES.

Abijah's victory. me, and therefore have I also left you in four hundred thousand chosen men. Jero the hand of Shishak. boam also set the battle in array against 6 Whereupon the princes of Israel, and him with eight hundred thousand chosen the king humbled themselves; and they men, being mighty men of valour. said, The LORD is righteous. 4 T And Abijah stood up upon mount

7 And when the LORD saw that they Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, humbled themselves, the word of the LORD and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and came to Shemaiah, saying, They have all Israel;

humbled themselves; therefore I will not 5 Ought ye not to know that the LORD destroy them, but I will grant them some God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel deliverance; and my wrath shall not be to David for ever, even to him and to his poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of sons by a covenant of salt? Shishak.

6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat the 8 Nevertheless they shall be his ser- servant of Solomon the son of David, is vants; that they may know my service, risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord. and the service of the kingdoms of the 7 And there are gathered unto him vain countries. men, the children of Belial, and have 9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up strengthened themselves against Rehobo against Jerusalem, and took away the am the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam treasures of the house of the LORD, and the was young and tender-hearted, and could treasures of the king's house; he took all: not withstand them. he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

10 Instead of which, king Rehoboam made shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king's house.

11 And when the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard-chamber.

8 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.

9 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 12 And when he humbled himself, the with a young bullock and seven rams, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that same may be a priest of them that are no he would not destroy him altogether: and gods. also in Judah things went well.

10 But as for us, the LORD is our God,

13 So king Rehoboam strengthened and we have not forsaken him; and the himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for priests, which minister unto the LORD, arè Rehoboam was one and forty years old the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait when he began to reign, and he reigned upon their business:

seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city 11 And they burn unto the LORD every which the LORD had chosen out of all the morning and every evening burnt-sacritribes of Israel, to put his name there. And fices and sweet incense: the shew-bread his mother's name was Naamah an Am-also set they in order upon the pure table; monitess. and the candlestick of gold with the lamps

14 And he did evil, because he prepared thereof to burn every evening: for we keep not his heart to seek the LORD. the charge of the LORD our God; but ye

15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and have forsaken him. last, are they not written in the book of 12 And behold, God himself is with us Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the for our captain, and his priests with soundseer concerning genealogies? And there ing trumpets to cry alarm against you. 0 were wars between Rehoboam and Jero- children of Israel, fight ye not against the boam continually. LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.

16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.

CHAP. XIII.

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

NOW in the eighteenth year of king was behind them.

Judah.

Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over 14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. and they cried unto the LORD, and the His mother's name also was Michaiah the priests sounded with the trumpets. daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there 15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. and as the men of Judah shouted, it came 3 And Abijah set the battle in array to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all with an army of valiant men of war, even Israel before Abijah and Judah.

Asa succeeds him.

:

CHAP. XIV, XV.

Asa covenants with God.

16 And the children of Israel fled before 11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his Judah and God delivered them into their God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with hand. thee to help, whether with many, or with 17 And Abijah and his people slew them that have no power: help us, O LORD them with a great slaughter: so there fell our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy down slain of Israel five hundred thousand name we go against this multitude. Ö chosen men. LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

18 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.

12 So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.

19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, 13 And Asa and the people that were and took cities from him, Beth-el with the with him pursued them unto Gerar: and towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they towns thereof, and Ephraim with the could not recover themselves; for they towns thereof. were destroyed before the LORD, and be20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength fore his host; and they carried away very again in the days of Abijah and the LORD much spoil. struck him, and he died.

14 And they smote all the cities round 21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came married fourteen wives, and begat twenty upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; and two sons, and sixteen daughters. for there was exceeding much spoil in them. 22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, 15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and his ways, and his sayings, are written and carried away sheep and camels in in the story of the prophet Iddo. abundance, and returned to Jerusalem. CHAP. XV.

CHAP. XIV.

O Abijah slept with his fathers, and

they buried him in the city of David

In

and Asa his son reigned in his stead.
his days the land was quiet ten years.
2 And Asa did that which was good and
right in the eyes of the LORD his God:

3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:

4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.

5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.

AND the Spirit of God came upon Aza

riah the son of Oded:

2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

5 And in those times there was no peace 6 ¶ And he built fenced cities in Judah: to him that went out, nor to him that came for the land had rest, and he had no war in, but great vexations were upon all the in those years; because the LORD had inhabitants of the countries. given him rest.

6 And nation was destroyed of nation, 7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us and city of city: for God did vex them build these cities, and make about them with all adversity.

walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while 7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not the land is yet before us; because we have your hands be weak; for your work shall sought the LORD our God, we have sought be rewarded.

him, and he hath given us rest on every 8 And when Asa heard these words, and side. So they built, and prospered. the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took 8 And Asa had an army of men that bare courage, and put away the abominable targets and spears, out of Judah three hun- idols out of all the land of Judah and Bendred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that jamin, and out of the cities which he had bare shields and drew bows, two hundred taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed and fourscore thousand: ail these were the altar of the LORD, that was before the mighty men of valour. porch of the LORD.

9 And there came out against them 9 And he gathered all Judah and BenZerah the Ethiopian, with a host of a jamin, and the strangers with them out of thousand thousand, and three hundred cha- Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: riots; and came unto Mareshah. for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

10 So they gathered themselves together

Ramah's building prevented. II. CHRONICLES.

Jehoshaphat's good reign.

at Jerusalem in the third month, in the 7 T And at that time Hanani the seer fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto 11 And they offered unto the LORD the him, Because thou hast relied on the king same time, of the spoil which they had of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy brought, seven hundred oxen and seven God, therefore is the host of the king of thousand sheep. Syria escaped out of thy hand.

12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

13 That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or

'woman.

14 And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thy hand.

9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, 10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and sought him with their whole desire; and put him in a prison-house; for he was and he was found of them: and the LORD in a rage with him because of this thing. gave them rest round about. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

16 T And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

11 T And behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.

18 T And he brought into the house of 13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and God the things that his father had dedi-died in the one and fortieth yearof his reign. cated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa. CHAP. XVI.

N the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha King of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

14 And they buried him in his own se pulchres which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours, and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art and they made a very great burning for him. CHAP. XVII.

AND

ND Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel.

2 And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken.

3 There is a league between me and thee, 3 And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, as there was between my father and thy because he walked in the first ways of his father: behold, I have sent thee silver and father David, and sought not unto Baalim; gold; go, break thy league with Baasha 4 But sought to the LORD God of his king of Israel, that he may depart from me. father, and walked in his commandments, 4 And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king and not after the doings of Israel. Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali.

5 Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance.

5 And it came to pass, when Baasha 6 And his heart was lifted up in the ways heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, of the LORD: moreover he took away the and let his work cease. high places and groves out of Judah.

6 Then Asa the king took all Judah; 7 Also in the third year of his reign he and they carried away the stones of Ra-sent to his princes, even to Ben-hail, and mah, and the timber thereof, wherewith to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Ne Baasha was building, and he built there- thaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the with Geba and Mizpah. cities of Judah.