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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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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1 Kings 15
15
King Abijam of Judah
(2 Chronicles 13.1-22)
1Abijam became king of Judah in Jeroboam's eighteenth year as king of Israel, 2and he ruled from Jerusalem for three years. His mother was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
3Abijam did not truly obey the LORD his God as his ancestor David had done. Instead, he was sinful just like his father Rehoboam. 4-5David had always obeyed the LORD's commands by doing right, except in the case of Uriah.#15.4,5 Uriah: A Hittite who served in David's army; David had him killed so he could marry his wife Bathsheba (see 2 Samuel 11.1-27). And since Abijam was David's great-grandson, the LORD kept Jerusalem safe and let Abijam have a son who would be the next king.#1 K 11.36.#2 S 11.1-27.
6-7The war that had broken out between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continued during the time that Abijam was king.#2 Ch 13.3-21.
Everything else Abijam did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. 8Abijam died and was buried in Jerusalem,#15.8 Jerusalem: See the note at 2.10,11. and his son Asa became king.
King Asa of Judah
(2 Chronicles 15.16—16.6,11-13)
9Asa became king of Judah in the twentieth year of Jeroboam's rule in Israel, 10and he ruled forty-one years from Jerusalem. His grandmother was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
11Asa obeyed the LORD, as David had done. 12He forced the prostitutes#15.12 prostitutes: See the note at 14.24. at the shrines to leave the country, and he got rid of the idols his ancestors had made.#2 Ch 15.8-15. 13His own grandmother Maacah had made an idol of Asherah, and Asa took it and burnt it in Kidron Valley. Then he removed Maacah from her position as queen mother.#15.13 queen mother: Or “the mother of the king”, an important position in biblical times (see 2.19).
14As long as Asa lived, he was completely faithful to the LORD, even though he did not destroy the local shrines. 15He placed in the temple all the silver and gold objects that he and his father had dedicated to the LORD.
16Asa was always at war with King Baasha of Israel. 17One time, Baasha invaded Judah and captured the town of Ramah. He started making the town stronger, so he could put troops there to stop people from going in and out of Judah.
18When Asa heard about this, he took the silver and gold from his palace and from the LORD's temple. He gave it to some of his officials and sent them to Damascus with this message for King Benhadad#15.18 Benhadad: Hebrew “Benhadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion”. of Syria: 19“Our fathers signed a peace treaty. Why don't we do the same thing? This silver and gold is a present for you. So, would you please break your treaty with Baasha and force him to leave my country?”
20Benhadad did what Asa asked and sent the Syrian army into Israel. They captured the towns of Ijon, Dan, and Abel-Bethmaacah, and the territories of Chinneroth and Naphtali. 21When Baasha heard about it, he left Ramah and went back to Tirzah.
22Asa ordered everyone in Judah to carry away the stones and wood Baasha had used to strengthen the town of Ramah. Then he used these same stones and wood to fortify the town of Geba in the territory of Benjamin and the town of Mizpah.
23Everything else Asa did while he was king, including his victories and the towns he rebuilt, is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. When he got older, he had a foot disease. 24Asa died and was buried in the tomb of his ancestors in Jerusalem.#15.24 Jerusalem: Hebrew “the city of David his ancestor”. His son Jehoshaphat then became king.
King Nadab of Israel
25Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Asa's second year as king of Judah, and he ruled two years. 26Nadab disobeyed the LORD by following the evil example of his father, who had caused the Israelites to sin.
27-28Baasha son of Ahijah was from the tribe of Issachar, and he made plans to kill Nadab. When Nadab and his army went to attack the town of Gibbethon in Philistia, Baasha killed Nadab there. So in the third year of Asa's rule, Baasha became king of Israel.
29The LORD's prophet Ahijah had earlier said, “Not one man or boy in Jeroboam's family will be left alive.” And, as soon as Baasha became king, he killed everyone in Jeroboam's family,#1 K 14.10. 30because Jeroboam had made the LORD God of Israel angry by sinning and causing the Israelites to sin.
31Everything else Nadab did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Israel.
32King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel were always at war.
King Baasha of Israel
33Baasha son of Ahijah became king of Israel in Asa's third year as king of Judah, and he ruled twenty-four years from Tirzah. 34Baasha also disobeyed the LORD by acting like Jeroboam, who had caused the Israelites to sin.
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