2 Chronicles 12-18
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 12
1When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the Law of the Lord. 2And it came about in King Rehoboam’s fifth year, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem 3with 1,200 chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. And the people who came with him from Egypt were innumerable: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians. 4And he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. 5Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, 'This is what the Lord says: ‘You have abandoned Me, so I also have abandoned you to Shishak.’?' 6So the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, 'The Lord is righteous.'
7When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, 'They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them; and I will grant them a little deliverance, and My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak.
8But they will become his slaves, so that they may learn the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.'
9So Shishak king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem, and he took the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s palace. He took everything; he even took the gold shields which Solomon had made.
10Then King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and committed them to the care of the commanders of the guards who guarded the entrance of the king’s house.
11As often as the king entered the house of the Lord, the guards came and carried them and then brought them back into the guards’ room.
12And when he humbled himself, the anger of the Lord turned away from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and conditions were also good in Judah.
13So King Rehoboam became powerful in Jerusalem and reigned there. For Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
14But he did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
15Now the acts of Rehoboam, from the first to the last, are they not written in the records of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, according to genealogical enrollment? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
16And Rehoboam lay down with his fathers and was buried in the city of David; and his son Abijah became king in his place.
2He reigned in Jerusalem for three years; and his mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3Abijah began the battle with an army of warriors, four hundred thousand chosen men, while Jeroboam drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men who were valiant warriors.
4Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, 'Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
5Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?
6Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master,
7and worthless men gathered to him, wicked men, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, when he was young and timid and could not hold his own against them.
8So now you intend to assert yourselves against the kingdom of the Lord through the sons of David, being a great multitude and having with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods.
9Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a bull and seven rams, even he may become a priest of things that are not gods.
10But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not abandoned Him; and the sons of Aaron are ministering to the Lord as priests, and the Levites attend to their work.
11Every morning and evening they burn to the Lord burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and the showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening; for we perform our duty to the Lord our God, but you have abandoned Him.
12Now behold, God is with us at our head, and His priests with the signal trumpets to sound the war cry against you. Sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.'
13But Jeroboam had set an ambush to come from behind, so that Israel was in front of Judah and the ambush was behind them.
14When Judah turned around, behold, they were attacked both from front and rear; so they cried out to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets.
15Then the men of Judah raised a war cry, and when the men of Judah raised the war cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16When the sons of Israel fled from Judah, God handed them over to them.
17Abijah and his people defeated them with a great slaughter, so that five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell slain.
18The sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah conquered because they trusted in the Lord, the God of their fathers.
19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured from him several cities, Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages.
21But Abijah became powerful, and he took fourteen wives for himself, and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his words are written in the treatise of Iddo the prophet.
2And Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God,
3for he removed the foreign altars and high places, tore down the memorial stones, cut down the Asherim,
4and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to comply with the Law and the commandment.
5He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. And the kingdom was undisturbed under him.
6He built fortified cities in Judah, since the land was undisturbed, and there was no one at war with him during those years, because the Lord had given him rest.
7For he said to Judah, 'Let’s build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.' So they built and prospered.
8Now Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah, carrying large shields and spears, and 280,000 from Benjamin, carrying shields and wielding bows; all of them were valiant warriors.
9Now Zerah the Ethiopian went out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah.
10So Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up in battle formation in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, 'Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; help us, Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You.'
12So the Lord routed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar; and so many Ethiopians fell that they could not recover, for they were shattered before the Lord and before His army. And they carried away a very large amount of plunder.
14They destroyed all the cities around Gerar, for the dread of the Lord had fallen on them; and they pillaged all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.
15They also fatally struck those who owned livestock, and they led away large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Chapter 15
1Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, 2and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, 'Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you. 3For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without the Law. 4But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. 5In those times there was no peace for him who went out or him who came in, because many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. 7But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is a reward for your work.'
8Now when Asa heard these words and the prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the Lord which was in front of the porch of the Lord.
9And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who resided with them, for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
11They sacrificed to the Lord on that day seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the spoils they had brought.
12They entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul;
13and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.
14Moreover, they made an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and with horns.
15All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.
16He also removed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from the position of queen mother, because she had made an abominable image as an Asherah, and Asa cut down her abominable image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.
17But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa’s heart was blameless all his days.
18He brought into the house of God the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver, gold, and utensils.
19And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
Chapter 16
1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. 2Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the king’s house, and sent it to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3A treaty must be made between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.' 4And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa, and he sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 5When Baasha heard about it, he stopped fortifying Ramah and put an end to his work. 6Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with it he fortified Geba and Mizpah.
7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, 'Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, for that reason the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
8Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, He handed them over to you.
9For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will have wars.'
10Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa mistreated some of the people at the same time.
11Now, the acts of Asa from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.
13So Asa lay down with his fathers, and died in the forty-first year of his reign.
14They buried him in his own tomb which he had cut out for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the resting place which he had filled with spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art; and they made a very great fire for him.
Chapter 17
1His son Jehoshaphat then became king in his place, and he proved himself strong over Israel. 2He placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and placed garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which his father Asa had captured.
3And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals,
4but sought the God of his father, followed His commandments, and did not act as Israel did.
5So the Lord established the kingdom in his control, and all Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor.
6He took great pride in the ways of the Lord, and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah.
7Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah;
8and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9They taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; and they went throughout the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
10Now the dread of the Lord was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.
11Some of the Philistines brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.
12So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah.
13He had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and warriors, valiant mighty men, in Jerusalem.
14This was their muster according to their fathers’ households: of Judah, commanders of thousands, Adnah was the commander, and with him three hundred thousand valiant warriors;
15and next to him was Johanan the commander, and with him 280,000;
16and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who volunteered for the Lord, and with him two hundred thousand valiant warriors;
17and of Benjamin, Eliada, a valiant warrior, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield;
18and next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 equipped for war.
19These are the ones who served the king, apart from those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout Judah.
Chapter 18
1Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage to Ahab. 2Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria, and Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him. And he incited him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, 'Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?' And he said to him, 'I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.'
4However, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, 'Please request the word of the Lord first.'
5So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, 'Should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?' And they said, 'Go up, for God will hand it over to the king.'
6But Jehoshaphat said, 'Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of him?'
7And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything good regarding me, but always bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.' But Jehoshaphat said, 'May the king not say so.'
8Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, 'Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.'
9Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, dressed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
10Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, 'This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed!’?'
11All the prophets were prophesying this as well, saying, 'Go up to Ramoth-gilead and be successful, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.'
12Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, 'Behold, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them, and speak favorably.'
13But Micaiah said, 'As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, I will speak it.'
14When he came to the king, the king said to him, 'Micaiah, should we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?' He said, 'Go up and succeed, for they will be handed over to you!'
15Then the king said to him, 'How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?'
18And Micaiah said, 'Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the angels of heaven standing on His right and on His left.
19And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one spirit said this, while another said that.
20Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’
21He said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him, and you will also prevail. Go out and do so.’
22Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, for the Lord has declared disaster against you.'
23Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek; and he said, 'How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?'
24And Micaiah said, 'Behold, you are going to see how on that day when you go from one inner room to another trying to hide yourself.'
25Then the king of Israel said, 'Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son;
26and say, ‘This is what the king says: 'Put this man in prison, and feed him enough bread and water to survive until I return safely.'?’?'
27But Micaiah said, 'If you actually return safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.' And he said, 'Listen, all you people!'
28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead.
29And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.' So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
30Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, 'Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.'
31So when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, 'He is the king of Israel!' And they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him.
32When the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
33Now one man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, 'Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.'
34The battle raged on that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.
King James Version
Chapter 12
1And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. 2And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord, 3With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians. 4And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
5Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.
6Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous.
7And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.
9So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
10Instead 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.
11And when the king entered into the house of the Lord, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber.
12And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.
13So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess.
14And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.
15Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
16And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.
Chapter 13
1Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah. 2He 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. 3And 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.
4And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
5Ought 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?
6Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.
7And 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.
8And 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.
9Have 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.
10But 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:
11And 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.
12And, 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.
13But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
14And 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 shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.
17And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
18Thus 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.
19And 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.
20Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the Lord struck him, and he died.
21But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.
22And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
Chapter 14
1So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years. 2And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God: 3For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: 4And commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. 5Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.
6And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the Lord had given him rest.
7Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.
8And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.
9And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.
10Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
12So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.
13And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the Lord, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.
14And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the Lord came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.
15They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.
Chapter 15
1And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: 2And 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. 3Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. 4But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. 5And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. 6And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity. 7Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
9And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11And they offered unto the Lord the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
13That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.
16And 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.
17But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.
Chapter 16
1In 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. 2Then 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 Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, 3There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. 4And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease. 6Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.
7And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
8Were 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 thine hand.
9For 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.
10Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.
11And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12And 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.
13And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.
14And they buried him in his own sepulchres, 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.
Chapter 17
1And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel. 2And 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.
3And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim;
4But sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
5Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance.
6And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.
7Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, even to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.
8And with them he sent Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests.
9And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.
10And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
11Also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and tribute silver; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he goats.
12And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles, and cities of store.
13And he had much business in the cities of Judah: and the men of war, mighty men of valour, were in Jerusalem.
14And these are the numbers of them according to the house of their fathers: Of Judah, the captains of thousands; Adnah the chief, and with him mighty men of valour three hundred thousand.
15And next to him was Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and fourscore thousand.
16And next him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the Lord; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valour.
17And of Benjamin; Eliada a mighty man of valour, and with him armed men with bow and shield two hundred thousand.
18And next him was Jehozabad, and with him an hundred and fourscore thousand ready prepared for the war.
Chapter 18
1Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab. 2And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead. 3And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war. 4And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day. 5Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the king's hand. 6But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him? 7And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. 8And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.
9And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat either of them on his throne, clothed in their robes, and they sat in a void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
10And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the Lord, With these thou shalt push Syria until they be consumed.
11And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
12And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.
13And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.
14And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.
15And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the Lord?
16Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master; let them return therefore every man to his house in peace.
17And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?
18Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the Lord; I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.
19And the Lord said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.
20Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith?
21And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so.
22Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee.
23Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee?
24And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.
25Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;
26And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.
27And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people.
28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead.
29And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle.
30Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight ye not with small or great, save only with the king of Israel.
31And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.
32For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him.
33And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.
34And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even: and about the time of the sun going down he died.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 12
1When Rehoboam had established his sovereignty and royal power, he abandoned the law of the Lord —he and all Israel with him. 2Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem 3with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 cavalrymen, and countless people who came with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkiim, and Cushites. 4He captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
7When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the Lord’s message came to Shemaiah: "They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them but will grant them a little deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.
8However, they will become his servants so that they may recognize the difference between serving me and serving the kingdoms of other lands."
9So King Shishak of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem. He seized the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took the gold shields that Solomon had made.
10King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and committed them into the care of the captains of the guards who protected the entrance to the king’s palace.
11Whenever the king entered the Lord’s temple, the guards would carry the shields and take them back to the armory.
12When Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned away from him, and he did not destroy him completely. Besides that, conditions were good in Judah.
13King Rehoboam established his royal power in Jerusalem. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put his name. Rehoboam’s mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.
14Rehoboam did what was evil, because he did not determine in his heart to seek the Lord.
15The events of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Events of the Prophet Shemaiah and of the Seer Iddo concerning genealogies. There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their reigns.
16Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Abijah became king in his place.
2and he reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel; she was from Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3Abijah set his army of warriors in order with four hundred thousand fit young men. Jeroboam arranged his mighty army of eight hundred thousand fit young men in battle formation against him.
4Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel, hear me.
5Don’t you know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?
6But Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.
7Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young, inexperienced, and unable to assert himself against them.
8"And now you are saying you can assert yourselves against the Lord’s kingdom, which is in the hand of one of David’s sons. You are a vast number and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.
9Didn’t you banish the priests of the Lord, the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and make your own priests like the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to ordain himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.
10"But as for us, the Lord is our God. We have not abandoned him; the priests ministering to the Lord are descendants of Aaron, and the Levites serve at their tasks.
11They offer a burnt offering and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and every evening, and they set the rows of the Bread of the Presence on the ceremonially clean table. They light the lamps of the gold lampstand every evening. We are carrying out the requirements of the Lord our God, while you have abandoned him.
12Look, God and his priests are with us at our head. The trumpets are ready to sound the charge against you. Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed."
13Now Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to advance from behind them. So they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
14Judah turned and discovered that the battle was in front of them and behind them, so they cried out to the Lord. Then the priests blew the trumpets,
15and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. When the men of Judah raised the battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God handed them over to them.
17Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and five hundred thousand fit young men of Israel were killed.
18The Israelites were subdued at that time. The Judahites succeeded because they depended on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their surrounding villages.
20Jeroboam no longer retained his power during Abijah’s reign; ultimately, the Lord struck him and he died.
21However, Abijah grew strong, acquired fourteen wives, and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, along with his ways and his sayings, are written in the Writing of the Prophet Iddo.
2Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God.
3He removed the pagan altars and the high places. He shattered their sacred pillars and chopped down their Asherah poles.
4He told the people of Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors and to carry out the instruction and the commands.
5He also removed the high places and the shrines from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom experienced peace under him.
6Because the land experienced peace, Asa built fortified cities in Judah. No one made war with him in those days because the Lord gave him rest.
7So he said to the people of Judah, "Let’s build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, with doors and bars. The land is still ours because we sought the Lord our God. We sought him and he gave us rest on every side." So they built and succeeded.
8Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah bearing large shields and spears, and two hundred eighty thousand from Benjamin bearing regular shields and drawing the bow. All these were valiant warriors.
9Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of one million men and three hundred chariots. They came as far as Mareshah.
10So Asa marched out against him and lined up in battle formation in Zephathah Valley at Mareshah.
12So the Lord routed the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled.
13Then Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell until they had no survivors, for they were crushed before the Lord and his army. So the people of Judah carried off a great supply of loot.
14Then they attacked all the cities around Gerar because the terror of the Lord was on them. They also plundered all the cities, since there was a great deal of plunder in them.
15They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen and captured many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Chapter 15
1The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. 2So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, hear me. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you. 3For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without instruction, 4but when they turned to the Lord God of Israel in their distress and sought him, he was found by them. 5In those times there was no peace for those who went about their daily activities because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. 6Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every possible distress. 7But as for you, be strong; don’t give up, for your work has a reward."
8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the abhorrent idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He renovated the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.
9Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, as well as those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing among them, for they had defected to him from Israel in great numbers when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10They were gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
11At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from all the plunder they had brought.
12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with all their heart and all their soul.
13Whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be put to death, young or old, man or woman.
14They took an oath to the Lord in a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with rams’ horns.
15All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their mind. They had sought him with all their heart, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.
16King Asa also removed Maacah, his grandmother, from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image, then crushed it and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
17The high places were not taken away from Israel; nevertheless, Asa was wholeheartedly devoted his entire life.
18He brought his father’s consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into God’s temple: silver, gold, and utensils.
Chapter 16
1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa, Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah. He built Ramah in order to keep anyone from leaving or coming to King Asa of Judah. 2So Asa brought out the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace and sent it to Aram’s King Ben-hadad, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3"There’s a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you silver and gold. Go break your treaty with Israel’s King Baasha so that he will withdraw from me."
4Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies to the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.
5When Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stopped his work.
6Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then he built Geba and Mizpah with them.
7At that time, the seer Hanani came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, "Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you.
8Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? When you depended on the Lord, he handed them over to you.
9For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him. You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on."
10Asa was enraged with the seer and put him in prison because of his anger over this. And Asa mistreated some of the people at that time.
11Note that the events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a disease in his feet, and his disease became increasingly severe. Yet even in his disease he didn’t seek the Lord but only the physicians.
13Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.
14He was buried in his own tomb that he had made for himself in the city of David. They laid him out in a coffin that was full of spices and various mixtures of prepared ointments; then they made a great fire in his honor.
Chapter 17
1His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. 2He stationed troops in every fortified city of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
3Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the former ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals
4but sought the God of his father and walked by his commands, not according to the practices of Israel.
5So the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. Then all Judah brought him tribute, and he had riches and honor in abundance.
6His mind rejoiced in the Lord’s ways, and he again removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.
7In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah.
8The Levites with them were Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah; the priests, Elishama and Jehoram, were with these Levites.
9They taught throughout Judah, having the book of the Lord’s instruction with them. They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.
10The terror of the Lord was on all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so they didn’t fight against Jehoshaphat.
11Some of the Philistines also brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat, and the Arabs brought him flocks: 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.
12Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah
13and carried out great works in the towns of Judah. He had fighting men, valiant warriors, in Jerusalem.
17from Benjamin, Eliada, a valiant warrior, and two hundred thousand with him armed with bow and shield;
18next to him, Jehozabad and one hundred eighty thousand with him equipped for war.
Chapter 18
1Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he made an alliance with Ahab through marriage. 2Then after some years, he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab sacrificed many sheep, goats, and cattle for him and for the people who were with him. Then he persuaded him to attack Ramoth-gilead,
3for Israel’s King Ahab asked Judah’s King Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" He replied to him, "I am as you are, my people as your people; we will be with you in the battle."
4But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "First, please ask what the Lord’s will is."
9Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, clothed in royal attire, were each sitting on his own throne. They were sitting on the threshing floor at the entrance to Samaria’s gate, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them.
10Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made iron horns and said, "This is what the Lord says: ‘You will gore the Arameans with these until they are finished off.’"
11And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, "March up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king."
18Then Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the whole heavenly army was standing at his right hand and at his left hand.
19And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice King Ahab of Israel to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ So one was saying this and another was saying that.
25Then the king of Israel ordered, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son,
26and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this guy in prison and feed him only a little bread and water until I come back safely.’"
28Then the king of Israel and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth-gilead.
29But the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal attire." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
31When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, "He must be the king of Israel!" So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him.
32When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
33But a man drew his bow without taking special aim and struck the king of Israel through the joints of his armor. So he said to the charioteer, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!"
34The battle raged throughout that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then he died at sunset.
New Living Translation
Chapter 12
1But when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the Lord, and all Israel followed him in this sin. 2Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign. 3He came with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horses, and a countless army of foot soldiers, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Ethiopians. 4Shishak conquered Judah’s fortified towns and then advanced to attack Jerusalem.
7When the Lord saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: 'Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem.
8But they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.'
9So King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.
10King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace.
11Whenever the king went to the Temple of the Lord, the guards would also take the shields and then return them to the guardroom.
12Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger was turned away, and he did not destroy him completely. There were still some good things in the land of Judah.
13King Rehoboam firmly established himself in Jerusalem and continued to rule. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen from among all the tribes of Israel as the place to honor his name. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah, a woman from Ammon.
14But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the Lord with all his heart.
15The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Shemaiah the Prophet and The Record of Iddo the Seer, which are part of the genealogical record. Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other.
16When Rehoboam died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Abijah became the next king.
2He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. Then war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3Judah, led by King Abijah, fielded 400,000 select warriors, while Jeroboam mustered 800,000 select troops from Israel.
4When the army of Judah arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim and shouted to Jeroboam and all Israel: 'Listen to me!
5Don’t you realize that the Lord, the God of Israel, made a lasting covenant with David, giving him and his descendants the throne of Israel forever?
6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a mere servant of David’s son Solomon, rebelled against his master.
7Then a whole gang of scoundrels joined him, defying Solomon’s son Rehoboam when he was young and inexperienced and could not stand up to them.
8Do you really think you can stand against the kingdom of the Lord that is led by the descendants of David? You may have a vast army, and you have those gold calves that Jeroboam made as your gods.
9But you have chased away the priests of the Lord (the descendants of Aaron) and the Levites, and you have appointed your own priests, just like the pagan nations. You let anyone become a priest these days! Whoever comes to be dedicated with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these so-called gods of yours!
10But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not abandoned him. Only the descendants of Aaron serve the Lord as priests, and the Levites alone may help them in their work.
11They present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and evening. They place the Bread of the Presence on the holy table, and they light the gold lampstand every evening. We are following the instructions of the Lord our God, but you have abandoned him.
12So you see, God is with us. He is our leader. His priests blow their trumpets and lead us into battle against you. O people of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed!'
13Meanwhile, Jeroboam had secretly sent part of his army around behind the men of Judah to ambush them.
14When Judah realized that they were being attacked from the front and the rear, they cried out to the Lord for help. Then the priests blew the trumpets,
15and the men of Judah began to shout. At the sound of their battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel and routed them before Abijah and the army of Judah.
16The Israelite army fled from Judah, and God handed them over to Judah in defeat.
17Abijah and his army inflicted heavy losses on them; 500,000 of Israel’s select troops were killed that day.
18So Judah defeated Israel on that occasion because they trusted in the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
19Abijah and his army pursued Jeroboam’s troops and captured some of his towns, including Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their surrounding villages.
20So Jeroboam of Israel never regained his power during Abijah’s lifetime, and finally the Lord struck him down and he died.
21Meanwhile, Abijah of Judah grew more and more powerful. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
Chapter 14
1When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. There was peace in the land for ten years. 2Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. 3He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. 4He commanded the people of Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands. 5Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars from every one of Judah’s towns. So Asa’s kingdom enjoyed a period of peace. 6During those peaceful years, he was able to build up the fortified towns throughout Judah. No one tried to make war against him at this time, for the Lord was giving him rest from his enemies.
9Once an Ethiopian named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. They advanced to the town of Mareshah,
10so Asa deployed his armies for battle in the valley north of Mareshah.
11Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, 'O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!'
12So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled.
13Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fell that they were unable to rally. They were destroyed by the Lord and his army, and the army of Judah carried off a vast amount of plunder.
14While they were at Gerar, they attacked all the towns in that area, and terror from the Lord came upon the people there. As a result, a vast amount of plunder was taken from these towns, too.
15They also attacked the camps of herdsmen and captured many sheep, goats, and camels before finally returning to Jerusalem.
Chapter 15
1Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, 2and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. 'Listen to me, Asa!' he shouted. 'Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. 4But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.
5During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land.
6Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem.
7But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.'
9Then Asa called together all the people of Judah and Benjamin, along with the people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them. For many from Israel had moved to Judah during Asa’s reign when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10The people gathered at Jerusalem in late spring, during the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
11On that day they sacrificed to the Lord 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep and goats from the plunder they had taken in the battle.
12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.
13They agreed that anyone who refused to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death — whether young or old, man or woman.
14They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the Lord with trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding.
15All in Judah were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side.
16King Asa even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole, broke it up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
17Although the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful throughout his life.
18He brought into the Temple of God the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated.
4Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa’s request and sent the commanders of his army to attack the towns of Israel. They conquered the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all the store cities in Naphtali.
5As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah and stopped all work on it.
6Then King Asa called out all the men of Judah to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the towns of Geba and Mizpah.
7At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, 'Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram.
8Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers? At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you.
9The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.'
11The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet even with the severity of his disease, he did not seek the Lord’s help but turned only to his physicians.
13So he died in the forty-first year of his reign.
14He was buried in the tomb he had carved out for himself in the City of David. He was laid on a bed perfumed with sweet spices and fragrant ointments, and the people built a huge funeral fire in his honor.
Chapter 17
1Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the next king. He strengthened Judah to stand against any attack from Israel. 2He stationed troops in all the fortified towns of Judah, and he assigned additional garrisons to the land of Judah and to the towns of Ephraim that his father, Asa, had captured.
3The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father’s early years and did not worship the images of Baal.
4He sought his father’s God and obeyed his commands instead of following the evil practices of the kingdom of Israel.
5So the Lord established Jehoshaphat’s control over the kingdom of Judah. All the people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so he became very wealthy and highly esteemed.
6He was deeply committed to the ways of the Lord. He removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles from Judah.
7In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. These officials included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah.
8He sent Levites along with them, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah. He also sent out the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people.
10Then the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat.
11Some of the Philistines brought him gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.
12So Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful and built fortresses and storage cities throughout Judah.
13He stored numerous supplies in Judah’s towns and stationed an army of seasoned troops at Jerusalem.
14His army was enrolled according to ancestral clans. From Judah there were 300,000 troops organized in units of 1,000, under the command of Adnah.
15Next in command was Jehohanan, who commanded 280,000 troops.
16Next was Amasiah son of Zicri, who volunteered for the Lord’s service, with 200,000 troops under his command.
17From Benjamin there were 200,000 troops equipped with bows and shields. They were under the command of Eliada, a veteran soldier.
18Next in command was Jehozabad, who commanded 180,000 armed men.
Chapter 18
1Jehoshaphat enjoyed great riches and high esteem, and he made an alliance with Ahab of Israel by having his son marry Ahab’s daughter. 2A few years later he went to Samaria to visit Ahab, who prepared a great banquet for him and his officials. They butchered great numbers of sheep, goats, and cattle for the feast. Then Ahab enticed Jehoshaphat to join forces with him to recover Ramoth-gilead.
3Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?' King Ahab of Israel asked King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Jehoshaphat replied, 'Why, of course! You and I are as one, and my troops are your troops. We will certainly join you in battle.'
4Then Jehoshaphat added, 'But first let’s find out what the Lord says.'
9King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab’s prophets were prophesying there in front of them.
10One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, 'This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!'
25Arrest him!' the king of Israel ordered. 'Take him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to my son Joash.
26Give them this order from the king: ‘Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return safely from the battle!’'
28So King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah led their armies against Ramoth-gilead.
29The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no one will recognize me, but you wear your royal robes.' So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
30Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to his chariot commanders: 'Attack only the king of Israel! Don’t bother with anyone else.'
31So when the Aramean chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they went after him. 'There is the king of Israel!' they shouted. But Jehoshaphat called out, and the Lord saved him. God helped him by turning the attackers away from him.
32As soon as the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him.
English Standard Version
Chapter 12
1When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. 2In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem 3with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt — Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians. 4And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. 5Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the Lord, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.’" 6Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The Lord is righteous." 7When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: "They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 8Nevertheless, they shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries."
9So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king 's house. He took away everything. He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made,
10and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king 's house.
11And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard came and carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.
12And when he humbled himself the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction. Moreover, conditions were good in Judah.
13So King Rehoboam grew strong in Jerusalem and reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His mother 's name was Naamah the Ammonite.
14And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
15Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the chronicles of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer? There were continual wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
16And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place.
Chapter 13
1In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. 2He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother 's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors.
4Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, "Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!
5Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?
6Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord,
7and certain worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and irresolute and could not withstand them.
8"And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods.
9Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods.
10But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service.
11They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him.
12Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed."
13Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
14And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets.
15Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand.
17Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men.
18Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers.
19And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron with its villages.
20Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down, and he died.
21But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
Chapter 14
1Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. 2And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim 4and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. 5He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. 6He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace. 7And he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side." So they built and prospered. 8And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.
9Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.
10And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11And Asa cried to the Lord his God, "O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you."
12So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah carried away very much spoil.
14And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.
15And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Chapter 15
1The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, 2and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, 4but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. 5In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. 7But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded."
8As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord.
9And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11They sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep.
12And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul,
13but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.
14They swore an oath to the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns.
15And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.
16Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.
17But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days.
18And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.
Chapter 16
1In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the king 's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3"There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me." 4And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. 6Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.
7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.
8Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand.
9For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars."
10Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.
11The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but sought help from physicians.
13And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign.
14They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer 's art, and they made a very great fire in his honor.
Chapter 17
1Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. 2He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. 3The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
7In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah;
8and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
10And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
11Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats.
12And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities,
13and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem.
14This was the muster of them by fathers ' houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 mighty men of valor;
15and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000;
16and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the Lord, with 200,000 mighty men of valor.
17Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield;
18and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war.
19These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
Chapter 18
1Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. 2After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?" He answered him, "I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war."
4And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Inquire first for the word of the Lord."
5Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king."
6But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?"
7And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so."
8Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah."
9Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
10And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, "Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’"
11And all the prophets prophesied so and said, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The Lord will give it into the hand of the king."
12And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, "Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably."
13But Micaiah said, "As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak."
14And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?" And he answered, "Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand."
15But the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?"
16And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’"
17And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
18And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.
19And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another.
20Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’
21And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’
22Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you."
23Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?"
24And Micaiah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself."
25And the king of Israel said, "Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king 's son,
26and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’"
27And Micaiah said, "If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me." And he said, "Hear, all you peoples!"
28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
29And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes." And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
30Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, "Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel."
31As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "It is the king of Israel." So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; God drew them away from him.
32For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
33But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded."
34And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died.
New International Version
Chapter 12
1After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord. 2Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. 3With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from Egypt, 4he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
7When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: "Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.
8They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands."
9When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made.
10So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.
11Whenever the king went to the Lord’s temple, the guards went with him, bearing the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.
13King Rehoboam established himself firmly in Jerusalem and continued as king. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.
14He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.
15As for the events of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer that deal with genealogies? There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
16Rehoboam rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Abijah his son succeeded him as king.
2and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah, a daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3Abijah went into battle with an army of four hundred thousand able fighting men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand able troops.
4Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me!
5Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?
6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled against his master.
7Some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive and not strong enough to resist them.
8"And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods.
9But didn’t you drive out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.
10"As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them.
11Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him.
12God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed."
13Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them.
14Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets
15and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands.
17Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel’s able men.
18The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages.
20Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died.
2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.
3He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.
4He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.
5He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.
6He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.
9Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.
10Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
12The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,
13and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.
14They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there.
15They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Chapter 15
1The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. 2He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. 4But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. 5In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. 6One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. 7But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded."
10They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
11At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back.
12They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.
13All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.
14They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns.
15All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.
16King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
17Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.
18He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.
2Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.
3"Let there be a treaty between me and you," he said, "as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me."
4Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim and all the store cities of Naphtali.
5When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work.
6Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.
7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: "Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
8Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen ? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand.
9For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."
11The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians.
13Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.
14They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes, and they made a huge fire in his honor.
Chapter 17
1Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king and strengthened himself against Israel. 2He stationed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and put garrisons in Judah and in the towns of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
3The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult the Baals
4but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel.
5The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor.
6His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.
7In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah.
8With them were certain Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-Adonijah—and the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the Lord; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.
10The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat.
11Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.
12Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah
13and had large supplies in the towns of Judah. He also kept experienced fighting men in Jerusalem.
17From Benjamin: Eliada, a valiant soldier, with 200,000 men armed with bows and shields;
18next, Jehozabad, with 180,000 men armed for battle.
Chapter 18
1Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. 2Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead.
3Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied, "I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war."
4But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the Lord."
9Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.
10Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, "This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’ "
25The king of Israel then ordered, "Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son,
26and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’ "
28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
29The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
30Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, "Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel."
31When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, "This is the king of Israel." So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him,
32for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.
33But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor. The king told the chariot driver, "Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded."
34All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.
New King James Version
Chapter 12
1Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel along with him. 2And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord, 3with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and people without number who came with him out of Egypt— the Lubim and the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. 4And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came to Jerusalem.
7Now when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may distinguish My service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations.”
9So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had made.
10Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.
11And whenever the king entered the house of the Lord, the guard would go and bring them out; then they would take them back into the guardroom.
12When he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah.
13Thus King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king; and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess.
14And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.
15The acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.
16So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. Then Abijah his son reigned in his place.
2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.
4Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
5Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?
6Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.
7Then worthless rogues gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and inexperienced and could not withstand them.
8And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you are the gold calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods.
9Have you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things that are not gods?
10But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties.
11And they burn to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the showbread in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every evening; for we keep the command of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him.
12Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”
13But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
14And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they cried out to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets.
15Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand.
17Then Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain.
18Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers.
19And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephrain with its villages.
20So Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the Lord struck him, and he died.
21But Abijah grew mighty, married fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayings are written in the annals of the prophet Iddo.
2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God,
3for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images.
4He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.
5He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him.
6And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest.
7Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
8And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor.
9Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah.
10So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”
12So the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the Lord and His army. And they carried away very much spoil.
14Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord came upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much spoil in them.
15They also attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.
Chapter 15
1Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. 2And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 3For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; 4but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. 5And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. 6So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. 7But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”
8And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the Lord that was before the vestibule of the Lord.
9Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11And they offered to the Lord at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the spoil they had brought.
12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
13and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14Then they took an oath before the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns.
15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.
16Also he removed Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron.
17But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days.
18He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils.
19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.
Chapter 16
1In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, 3“ Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
4So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.
5Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work.
6Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.
7And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.
8Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand.
9For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”
10Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.
11Note that the acts of Asa, first and last, are indeed written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.
13So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.
14They buried him in his own tomb, which he had made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him in the bed which was filled with spices and various ingredients prepared in a mixture of ointments. They made a very great burning for him.
Chapter 17
1Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel. 2And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken. 3Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, 4but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. 5Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance. 6And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.
7Also in the third year of his reign he sent his leaders, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.
8And with them he sent Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah—the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.
9So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.
10And the fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.
11Also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver as tribute; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.
12So Jehoshaphat became increasingly powerful, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah.
13He had much property in the cities of Judah; and the men of war, mighty men of valor, were in Jerusalem.
14These are their numbers, according to their fathers’ houses. Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him three hundred thousand mighty men of valor;
15and next to him was Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and eighty thousand;
16and next to him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself to the Lord, and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor.
17Of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield;
18and next to him was Jehozabad, and with him one hundred and eighty thousand prepared for war.
19These served the king, besides those the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
Chapter 18
1Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab. 2After some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead.
6But Jehoshaphat said, “ Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?”
9The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in their robes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
10Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ”
18Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left.
19And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.
20Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’
21So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him and also prevail; go out and do so.’
22Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”
25Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son;
26and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I return in peace.” ’ ”
28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
29And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
31So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “It is the king of Israel!” Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him.
32For so it was, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.
33Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”
34The battle increased that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening; and about the time of sunset he died.
