HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 764
2 C H RO N I C L ES 1 4
defying Solomon’s son Rehoboam when he was
young and inexperienced and could not stand
up to them.
8 “Do 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. 9 But 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!
10 “But 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.
11 They 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. 12 So 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!”
— promises —
from God
“But as for you, be strong
and courageous, for your
work will be rewarded.”
2 C H R O N I C L E S 1 5:7
13 Meanwhile, Jeroboam had secretly sent
part of his army around behind the men of Judah to ambush them. 14 When 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, 15 and
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.
16 The Israelite army fled from Judah, and
God handed them over to Judah in defeat.
17 Abijah and his army inflicted heavy losses
on them; 500,000 of Israel’s select troops
were killed that day. 18 So Judah defeated Israel on that occasion because they trusted in
the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 19 Abijah
and his army pursued Jeroboam’s troops and
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captured some of his towns, including Bethel,
Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their surrounding villages.
20 So Jeroboam of Israel never regained his
power during Abijah’s lifetime, and finally the
Lord struck him down and he died. 21 Meanwhile, Abijah of Judah grew more and more
powerful. He married fourteen wives and had
twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his words and deeds, are recorded in
The Commentary of Iddo the Prophet.
Early Years of Asa’s Reign
1*When 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. 2*Asa did what was pleasing and
good in the sight of the Lord his God. 3 He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines.
He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the
Asherah poles. 4 He commanded the people of
Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands.
5 Asa 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. 6 During 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.
7 Asa told the people of Judah, “Let us build
towns and fortify them with walls, towers,
gates, and bars. The land is still ours because we
sought the Lord our God, and he has given us
peace on every side.” So they went ahead with
these projects and brought them to completion.
8 King Asa had an army of 300,000 warriors
from the tribe of Judah, armed with large shields
and spears. He also had an army of 280,000
warriors from the tribe of Benjamin, armed with
small shields and bows. Both armies were composed of well-trained fighting men.
9 Once an Ethiopian* named Zerah attacked
Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men* and
300 chariots. They advanced to the town of
Mareshah, 10 so Asa deployed his armies for
battle in the valley north of Mareshah.* 11 Then
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!”
12 So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians* in the
14
14:1 Verse 14:1 is numbered 13:23 in Hebrew text.
14:2 Verses 14:2-15 are numbered 14:1-14 in Hebrew text.
14:9a Hebrew a Cushite. 14:9b Or an army of thousands and
thousands; Hebrew reads an army of a thousand thousands.
14:10 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads valley of Zephathah
near Mareshah. 14:12 Hebrew Cushites; also in 14:13.