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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Melaḵim Aleph (1 Kings) 15
15
1And in the eighteenth year of Sovereign Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, Aḇiyam became sovereign over Yehuḏah.
2He reigned three years in Yerushalayim, and his mother’s name was Ma‛aḵah the granddaughter of Aḇishalom.
3And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him, and his heart was not perfect to יהוה his Elohim, as was the heart of his father Dawiḏ.
4But for Dawiḏ’s sake יהוה his Elohim gave him a lamp in Yerushalayim, to raise up his son after him and by establishing Yerushalayim,
5for Dawiḏ did what was right in the eyes of יהוה, and did not turn aside from all that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriyah the Ḥittite.
6And there was fighting between Reḥaḇ‛am and Yaroḇ‛am all the days of his life.
7And the rest of the acts of Aḇiyam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yehuḏah? And there was fighting between Aḇiyam and Yaroḇ‛am.
8So Aḇiyam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of Dawiḏ. And Asa his son reigned in his place.
9And in the twentieth year of Yaroḇ‛am sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, Asa became sovereign over Yehuḏah.
10And he reigned forty-one years in Yerushalayim, and his grandmother’s name was Ma‛aḵah the granddaughter of Aḇishalom.
11And Asa did what was right in the eyes of יהוה, as his father Dawiḏ had done,
12and put away the cult prostitutes from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
13And he also removed Ma‛aḵah his grandmother from being sovereigness mother, because she had made an abominable image for Ashĕrah. And Asa cut down her abominable image and burned it by the wadi Qiḏron.
14But the high places were not removed. However, Asa’s heart was perfect with יהוה all his days.
15And he brought into the House of יהוה the set-apart items of his father, and his own set-apart items: silver and gold and utensils.
16And there was fighting between Asa and Ba‛asha sovereign of Yisra’ĕl all their days.
17And Ba‛asha sovereign of Yisra’ĕl came up against Yehuḏah, and built Ramah, to keep anyone from going out or coming in to Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah.
18And Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the House of יהוה and the treasuries of the sovereign’s house, and gave them into the hand of his servants. And Sovereign Asa sent them to Ben-Haḏaḏ son of Taḇrimmon, son of Ḥezyon, sovereign of Aram, who dwelt in Dammeseq, saying,
19“Let there be a covenant between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a present of silver and gold. Come, break your covenant with Ba‛asha sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, so that he withdraws from me.”
20And Ben-Haḏaḏ listened to Sovereign Asa, and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Yisra’ĕl, and struck Iyon, and Dan, and Aḇĕl Bĕyth Ma‛aḵah, and all Kinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.
21And it came to be, when Ba‛asha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah, and remained in Tirtsah.
22Then Sovereign Asa summoned all Yehuḏah – none was exempted – and they took away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Ba‛asha had used for building. And with them Sovereign Asa built Geḇa of Binyamin, and Mitspah.
23And the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yehuḏah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.
24So Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of Dawiḏ his father. And Yehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
25And Naḏaḇ son of Yaroḇ‛am became sovereign over Yisra’ĕl in the second year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, and he reigned over Yisra’ĕl two years.
26And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Yisra’ĕl sin.
27Then Ba‛asha son of Aḥiyah, of the house of Yissasḵar, conspired against him. And Ba‛asha struck him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Naḏaḇ and all Yisra’ĕl had laid siege to Gibbethon.
28And Ba‛asha killed him in the third year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, and reigned in his place.
29And it came to be, when he became sovereign, that he struck all the house of Yaroḇ‛am. He did not leave to Yaroḇ‛am anyone breathing, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of יהוה which He had spoken by His servant Aḥiyah the Shilonite,
30because of the sins of Yaroḇ‛am, which he had sinned and by which he had made Yisra’ĕl sin, because of his provocation with which he had provoked יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.
31And the rest of the acts of Naḏaḇ, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl?
32And there was fighting between Asa and Ba‛asha sovereign of Yisra’ĕl all their days.
33In the third year of Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, Ba‛asha son of Aḥiyah became sovereign over all Yisra’ĕl in Tirtsah, and reigned twenty-four years.
34And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and walked in the way of Yaroḇ‛am, and in his sin by which he had made Yisra’ĕl sin.
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