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
15
King Abijam of Judah
(2 Chronicles 13:1, 2, 22; 14:1)
1In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son), Abijam began to rule Judah. 2He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Maacah, daughter of Abishalom. 3He followed the sinful example his father had set and wasn’t committed to the Lord his God as his ancestor David had been. 4But for David’s sake the Lord his God made Abijam a lamp in Jerusalem. He appointed David’s descendant to rule after him and protected Jerusalem. 5The Lord did this because David did what the Lord considered right: David never failed to do anything the Lord commanded him to do his entire life (except in the matter concerning Uriah the Hittite).
6There was war between Abijam #15:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts; other Hebrew manuscripts “Jeroboam.” and Rehoboam throughout their lives.
7Isn’t everything else about Abijam—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8Abijam lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king.
King Asa of Judah
(2 Chronicles 14:2, 3; 15:16–18)
9In Jeroboam’s twentieth year as king of Israel, Asa began to rule as king of Judah. 10He ruled 41 years in Jerusalem. His grandmother was named Maacah, daughter of Abishalom.
11Asa did what the Lord considered right, as his ancestor David had done. 12He forced the male temple prostitutes out of the land and got rid of the idols his father had made. 13He also removed his grandmother Maacah from the position of queen mother because she made a statue of the repulsive goddess Asherah. Asa cut the statue down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14Although the illegal worship sites were not torn down, Asa remained committed to the Lord his entire life. 15He brought into the Lord’s temple the silver, the gold, and the utensils he and his father had set apart as holy.
King Asa’s War with King Baasha
(2 Chronicles 15:19; 16:1–6, 11–14; 17:1)
16There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel as long as they lived. 17King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah to keep anyone from going to or coming from King Asa of Judah.
18Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace and turned them over to his officials. King Asa sent them to Damascus to Aram’s King Benhadad, son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion. 19He said, “There’s a treaty between you and me ⌞as⌟ there was between your father and my father. I’m sending you a present of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone.”
20Benhadad did what King Asa requested. He sent his generals and their armies to attack the cities of Israel. He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and the entire area around Chinneroth with the entire territory of Naphtali. 21When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying Ramah and lived in Tirzah. 22Then King Asa drafted everyone in Judah and excused no one. He made them carry the stones and lumber from Ramah. Baasha had been using those to fortify the city. King Asa used the materials to fortify Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah.
23Isn’t everything else about Asa—all his heroic acts, everything he did, and the cities he fortified—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? But when he was old, he had a foot disease. 24Asa lay down in death with his ancestors. He was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor, David. His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king.
King Baasha Overthrows Nadab, Son of Jeroboam
25Nadab, son of Jeroboam, began to rule Israel in Asa’s second year as king of Judah. He ruled for two years. 26He did what the Lord considered evil, living as his father did, leading Israel into the same sins.
27Then Baasha, son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against Nadab. Baasha assassinated him in the Philistine city of Gibbethon while Nadab and the Israelite forces were attacking it. 28The assassination happened in Asa’s third year as king of Judah. Baasha succeeded Nadab as king of Israel. 29As soon as he was king, he killed everyone else in Jeroboam’s family. He did not spare a soul, as the Lord had spoken through his servant Ahijah from Shiloh. 30This was because of Jeroboam’s sins and the sins which he led Israel to commit. Those sins made the Lord God of Israel furious.
31Isn’t everything else about Nadab—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? 32There was war between Asa and Baasha as long as they lived.
33In Asa’s third year as king of Judah, Baasha, son of Ahijah, began to rule Israel in Tirzah. He ruled for 24 years. 34He did what the Lord considered evil. He lived like Jeroboam and led Israel into committing the ⌞same⌟ sins.
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