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Chapter 13
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1
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Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah
to reign over Judah. |
2
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He 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. |
3
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And 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 valor. |
4
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And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in
mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and
all Israel; |
5
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Ought 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? |
6
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Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon
the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against
his lord. |
7
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And 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. |
8
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And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD
in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude,
and there are with your golden calves, which Jeroboam
made you for gods. |
9
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Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons
of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests
after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that
whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock
and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that
are no gods. |
10
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But 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: |
11
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And 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. |
12
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And, 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. |
13
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But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind
them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was
behind them. |
14
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And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was
before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and
the priests sounded with the trumpets. |
15
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Then 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. |
16
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And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God
delivered them into their hand. |
17
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And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter:
so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand
chosen men. |
18
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Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that
time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they
relied upon the LORD God of their fathers. |
19
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And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities
from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah
with the towns thereof, and Ephraim with the towns thereof. |
20
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Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the
days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died. |
21
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But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives,
and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters. |
22
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And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and
his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet
Iddo. |
