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
Abijah, King of Judah
2Ch 13:1–2; 13:22–14:1
1Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijah became king over Judah. 2#2Ch 13:2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maakah, the daughter of Abishalom.
3#1Ki 11:4; Ps 119:80He walked in all the sins of his father that he had done before him, and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God as the heart of his father David had been. 4#1Ki 11:36; 2Ch 21:7Nevertheless, for David’s sake, the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem, 5#1Ki 14:8; 2Sa 11:15–17because David did that which 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, except in the matter involving Uriah the Hittite.
6#1Ki 14:30The war begun between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continued all the days of his life. 7#2Ch 13:2–22Now the rest of the acts of Abijah and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 8#2Ch 14:1Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David, and Asa his son reigned in his place.
Asa, King of Judah
2Ch 14:2–3; 15:16–17:1
9In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah. 10#1Ki 15:2He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem, and his grandmother’s name was Maakah, the daughter of Abishalom.
11#2Ch 14:2Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 12#1Ki 22:46; 11:7–8He expelled the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13#Ex 32:20In addition he even deposed his grandmother Maakah as queen, because she had made an idol in a grove. Asa destroyed her idol and burned it by the Kidron brook. 14#1Ki 15:3; 22:43But the high places were not all removed, even though Asa’s heart was wholly devoted to the Lord all his days. 15#1Ki 7:51He brought into the house of the Lord the things that both his father and he himself had dedicated, the silver and gold and cups.
16#1Ki 15:32There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17#1Ki 12:27; Jos 18:25Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah so he could prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.
18#1Ki 14:26; 2Ki 12:18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord, as well as the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants, and he sent them to Ben-Hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived at Damascus, saying, 19“There is a treaty between me and you and between my father and your father. I have sent to you a present of silver and gold. Come and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so he will depart from me.”
20#2Ki 15:29; Jdg 18:29; Jos 11:2So Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah, and all Kinnereth, along with all the land of Naphtali. 21#1Ki 14:17; 16:15–18When Baasha heard about it, he halted the fortification of Ramah and moved to Tirzah. 22#Jos 21:17; 18:24Then King Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah—none was exempted—and they took away the stones of Ramah and the timber with which Baasha had built, and King Asa used them to build Geba of Benjamin as well as Mizpah.
23The rest of all the acts of Asa and 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? When he was old, he got a disease in his feet. 24#Mt 1:8; 1Ki 22:41–43Asa then slept with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David, and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
Nadab, King of Israel
25#1Ki 14:20Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah and reigned over Israel two years. 26#1Ki 14:16; 15:30He did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin.
27#Jos 19:44; 21:23Baasha the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha killed him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. 28It was in the third year of Asa king of Judah that Baasha killed him and took his throne.
29#1Ki 14:9–16When he became king, Baasha killed all the house of Jeroboam. No one from Jeroboam’s family was left breathing. He completely destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30#1Ki 15:26because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation with which he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.
31#1Ki 14:19Now 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#1Ki 15:16And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
Baasha, King of Israel
33In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and he did so twenty-four years. 34#1Ki 15:26; 12:28–29He did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin with which he made Israel to sin.
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