Study Desk

And he made Abia the son of Maacha chief, even a leader among his brethren, for he intended to make him king.

And he was exalted beyond all his other sons in all the coasts of Juda and Benjamin, and in the strong cities; and he gave them provisions in great abundance: and he desired many wives.

So king Roboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: and Roboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, in the city which the Lord chose out of all the tribes of the children of Israel to call his name there: and his mother’s name was Noomma the Ammanitess.

And he did evil, for he directed not his heart to seek the Lord.

And the acts of Roboam, the first and the last, behold, are they not written in the book of Samaia the prophet, and Addo the seer, with his achievements.

And Roboam made war with Jeroboam all his days. And Roboam died with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abia his son reigned in his stead.

He reigned three years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maacha, daughter of Uriel of Gabaon.

Is it not for you to know that the Lord God of Israel has given a king over Israel for ever to David, and to his sons, by a covenant of salt?

But Jeroboam the son of Nabat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and has revolted from his master:

But we have not forsaken the Lord our God, and his priests, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, minister to the Lord; and in their daily courses

And, behold, the Lord and his priests are with us at our head, and the signal trumpets to sound an alarm over us. Children of Israel, fight not against the Lord God of our fathers; for ye shall not prosper.

And Abia and his people smote them with a great slaughter: and there fell slain of Israel five hundred thousand mighty men.

And the rest of the acts of Abia, and his deeds, and his sayings, 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 stead. In the days of Asa the land of Juda had rest ten years.

And he did that which was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God.

And Asa cried to the Lord his God, and said, O Lord, it is not impossible with thee to save by many or by few: strengthen us, O Lord our God; for we trust in thee, and in thy name have we come against this great multitude. O Lord our God, let not man prevail against thee.

And Asa and his people pursued them to Gedor; and the Ethiopians fell, so that they could not recover themselves; for they were crushed before the Lord, and before his host; and they took many spoils.

And he assembled Juda and Benjamin, and the strangers that dwelt with him, of Ephraim, and of Manasse, and of Symeon: for many of Israel were joined to him, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

And he removed Maacha his mother from being priestess to Astarte; and he cut down the idol, and burnt it in the brook of Kedron.

Nevertheless they removed not the high places: they still existed in Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.