1 Kings 15
15
Abijam Rules in Judah
1Abijam#15:1 Also known as Abijah. began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. 2He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom.#15:2 Hebrew Abishalom (also in 15:10), a variant spelling of Absalom; compare 2 Chr 11:20.
3He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. 4But for David’s sake, the Lord his God allowed his descendants to continue ruling, shining like a lamp, and he gave Abijam a son to rule after him in Jerusalem. 5For David had done what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and had obeyed the Lord’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite.
6There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam#15:6 As in a few Hebrew and Greek manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts read between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. throughout Abijam’s reign. 7The rest of the events in Abijam’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. There was constant war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8When Abijam died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king.
Asa Rules in Judah
9Asa began to rule over Judah in the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. 10He reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother#15:10 Or The queen mother; Hebrew reads His mother (also in 15:13); compare 15:2. was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom.
11Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done. 12He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols#15:12 The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung. his ancestors had made. 13He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14Although the pagan shrines were not removed, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful to the Lord throughout his life. 15He brought into the Temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated.
16There was constant war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. 17King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa’s territory in Judah.
18Asa responded by removing all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace. He sent it with some of his officials to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message:
19“Let there be a treaty#15:19 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads There is a treaty. between you and me like the one between your father and my father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone.”
20Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa’s request and sent the commanders of his army to attack the towns of Israel. They conquered the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Kinnereth, and all the land of Naphtali. 21As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. 22Then King Asa sent an order throughout Judah, requiring that everyone, without exception, help to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the town of Geba in Benjamin and the town of Mizpah.
23The rest of the events in Asa’s reign—the extent of his power, everything he did, and the names of the cities he built—are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. In his old age his feet became diseased. 24When Asa died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David.
Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the next king.
Nadab Rules in Israel
25Nadab son of Jeroboam began to rule over Israel in the second year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Israel two years. 26But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his father, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
27Then Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against Nadab and assassinated him while he and the Israelite army were laying siege to the Philistine town of Gibbethon. 28Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, and he became the next king of Israel.
29He immediately slaughtered all the descendants of King Jeroboam, so that not one of the royal family was left, just as the Lord had promised concerning Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. 30This was done because Jeroboam had provoked the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by the sins he had committed and the sins he had led Israel to commit.
31The rest of the events in Nadab’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
Baasha Rules in Israel
32There was constant war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. 33Baasha son of Ahijah began to rule over all Israel in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Baasha reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years. 34But he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
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1 Kings 15: NLT
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1 Kings 15
15
Abijam Reigns in Judah
1 #
2 Chr. 13:1, 2 Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and #ch. 11:4; [ver. 14; ch. 8:61]his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. 4Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him #See ch. 11:36a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5because #ch. 9:4; 14:8 David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, #2 Sam. 11:4, 15; 12:9except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6#ch. 14:30Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7#[2 Chr. 13:22] The rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? #See 2 Chr. 13:2-20And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8#2 Chr. 14:1And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.
Asa Reigns in Judah
9In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11#2 Chr. 14:2And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. 12He put away the #See ch. 14:24 male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed #[2 Chr. 15:8]all the idols that his fathers had made. 13#For ver. 13-15, see 2 Chr. 15:16-18 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and #[Ex. 32:20]burned it at the brook Kidron. 14#ch. 22:43; [2 Kgs. 12:3; 14:4] But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, #[ver. 3]the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. 15And #[ch. 7:51]he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.
16 # ver. 32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17#For ver. 17-22, see 2 Chr. 16:1-6 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and #ver. 21, 22 built Ramah, #[ch. 12:27]that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold #ch. 14:26 that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house and gave them into the hands of his servants. #[2 Kgs. 12:18] And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, #ch. 11:24who lived in Damascus, saying, 19“Let there be #[2 Chr. 16:7]a covenant#15:19 Or treaty; twice in this verse between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 20And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered #2 Kgs. 15:29 Ijon, #Judg. 18:29 Dan, #2 Sam. 20:14; 2 Kgs. 15:29 Abel-beth-maacah, and all #See Josh. 11:2Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21And when Baasha heard of it, #ver. 17 he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in #ch. 14:17; 16:6, 9Tirzah. 22Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built #Josh. 21:17 Geba of Benjamin and #Josh. 18:26Mizpah. 23#For ver. 23, 24, see 2 Chr. 16:11-14Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and #2 Chr. 17:1; [Matt. 1:8]Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
Nadab Reigns in Israel
25 # ch. 14:20 Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord #[ver. 34] and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin #ver. 30; ch. 12:30; 14:16which he made Israel to sin.
27 # ch. 14:14 Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at #ch. 16:15; Josh. 19:44; 21:23Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. 28So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. 29And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, #ch. 14:10, 14according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and #[See ver. 26 above]that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.
31Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 32#ver. 16And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
Baasha Reigns in Israel
33In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. 34He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord #[ver. 26]and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.
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