2Ch 13:3-20 | NASB2020 | STEP | Abijah 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 .

2 Chronicles 13:3-20

3 Abijah 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.

Civil War

4 Then Abijah stood on Mount ^aZemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel: 5 Do you not know that ^bthe Lord God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David ^{▼▼Lit to him and to his sons}and his sons by ^da covenant of salt? 6 Yet ^eJeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his ^{▼▼Or lord}master, 7 and worthless men gathered to him, wicked men, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, when ^{▼▼Lit Rehoboam
,} ^hhe was young and timid and could not hold his own against them.

8 “So now you intend to assert yourselves against the kingdom of the Lord ^{▼▼Lit by the hand of}through the sons of David, ^{▼▼Lit and you are a}being a great multitude and having with you ^kthe golden calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 ^lHave 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 ^mto consecrate himself with a bull and seven rams, even he may become a priest of things that are ⁿnot gods. 10 But 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 ^{▼▼Lit in the work}attend to their work. 11 Every morning and evening ^pthey ^{▼▼Lit offer up in smoke}burn to the Lord burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and ^rthe 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. 12 Now behold, God is with us at our head, and ^sHis 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.”

13 But Jeroboam ^thad set an ambush to come from behind, so that Israel was in front of Judah and the ambush was behind them. 14 When Judah turned around, behold, ^{▼▼Lit the battle was in front and behind them}they were attacked both from front and rear; so ^vthey cried out to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised a war cry, and when the men of Judah raised the war cry, God ^{▼▼Lit struck
,} ^xdefeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 When the sons of Israel fled from Judah, ^yGod handed them over to them. 17 Abijah and his people defeated them with a great slaughter, so that five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell slain. 18 The sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah ^{▼▼Lit were strong}conquered ^aabecause they trusted in the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured from him several cities, Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and ^{▼▼Another reading is Ephrain}Ephron with its villages.

Death of Jeroboam

20 Jeroboam did not again recover strength in the days of Abijah; and the ^acLord struck him and ^adhe died.