Study Desk

and had appointed his own priests for the high places, and for the goat-demons, and for the calves that he had made.

Rehoboam took as his wife Mahalath daughter of Jerimoth son of David, and of Abihail daughter of Eliab son of Jesse.

Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters).

Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.

He dealt wisely, and distributed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities; he gave them abundant provisions, and found many wives for them.

Nevertheless they shall be his servants, so that they may know the difference between serving me and serving the kingdoms of other lands."

So King Rehoboam established himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign; 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.

He did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord .

Rehoboam slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David; and his son Abijah succeeded him.

He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

Abijah engaged in battle, having an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand picked men; and Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with eight hundred thousand picked mighty warriors.

Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?

Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord;

See, God is with us at our head, and his priests have their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O Israelites, do not fight against the Lord , the God of your ancestors; for you cannot succeed."

Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come on them from behind; thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

Abijah and his army defeated them with great slaughter; five hundred thousand picked men of Israel fell slain.

Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah; the Lord struck him down, and he died.

The rest of the acts of Abijah, his behavior and his deeds, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

So Abijah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. His son Asa succeeded him. In his days the land had rest for ten years.

Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God.