2 Chronicles 13

In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abia began to reign over Judah.

He reigned three years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maacha, daughter of Uriel from Gabaon. And there was war between Abia and Jeroboam.

And Abia drew up the battle with an army, with warriors of valor, four hundred thousand mighty men; and Jeroboam drew up battle against him with eight hundred thousand mighty warriors of valor.

And Abia stood up on Mount Somoron, which is in Mount Ephraim, and said, Hear, Jeroboam and all Israel!

Is it not for you to know that the Lord God of Israel gave kingship over Israel forever to David and to his sons, a covenant of salt?

But Jeroboam son of Nabat, the servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and departed from his lord.

And pestilent men, lawless sons, gathered to him and withstood Rehoboam son of Solomon; and Rehoboam was young and fainthearted, and did not withstand him.

And now you say that you will withstand the kingdom of the Lord through the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you are golden calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods.

Did you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make for yourselves priests from the people of the land? Everyone who comes to fill his hands with a calf from the herd and with seven rams became a priest to what is no god.

But as for us, we have not forsaken the Lord our God, and his priests minister to the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their courses.

They burn to the Lord whole burnt offerings morning and evening, and incense of composition, and the setting out of loaves on the pure table; and there is the golden lampstand and the lamps for burning, to be lit at evening. For we keep the charges of the Lord God of our fathers, but you have forsaken him.

And behold, with us at the head is the Lord, and his priests, and the trumpets of signaling to sound against you. O sons of Israel, you will fight against the Lord God of our fathers; it shall not prosper for you.

But Jeroboam turned the ambush to come upon them from behind; and he was in front of Judah, and the ambush behind.

And Judah turned, and behold, the battle was upon them from in front and from behind; and they cried to the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.

And the men of Judah shouted; and it happened, when the men of Judah shouted, that the Lord struck Jeroboam and Israel before Abia and Judah.

And the sons of Israel fled from before Judah, and the Lord delivered them into their hands.

And Abia and his people struck them with a great blow; and there fell slain of Israel five hundred thousand mighty men.

And the sons of Israel were humbled in that day, and the sons of Judah prevailed, because they hoped in the Lord God of their fathers.

And Abia pursued after Jeroboam and captured from him cities: Bethel and its villages, and Isana and its villages, and Ephron and its villages.

And Jeroboam had no more strength all the days of Abia; and the Lord struck him, and he died.

But Abia grew strong, and took for himself fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

And the rest of the acts of Abia and his deeds and his words are written in the book of the prophet Addo.

And Abia died with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his place. In the days of Asa the land of Judah was quiet ten years.