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the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah went into battle with an army of warriors numbering four hundred thousand fighting men. Jeroboam faced him with his powerful army of eight hundred thousand choice warriors arrayed in battle formations.
4 Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 7 Then some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young and inexperienced, and he was not able to withstand them.
8 “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hand of the David’s sons. You are a vast multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9 But didn’t you drive out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and of the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are no gods.
10 “But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who minister to the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties. 11 Every morning and evening they offer to the Lord burnt offerings and fragrant incense. They set out the consecrated bread in order on the ceremonially clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is made ready to burn every evening. We carry out the requirements of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him. 12 Look, God is with us at our head, and His priests with trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
13 But Jeroboam had sent troops for an ambush to come around behind them. So they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 When Judah looked around, they saw that the battle was in front of them and behind them, so they cried out to the Lord. Then the priests blew their trumpets, 15 and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. When the men of Judah raised the battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 the Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter, and five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell slain. 18 So the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers.
19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam, and captured some of the cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. 20 Jeroboam did not recover his power again during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died.
21 But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives, and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 Now the rest of the events of Abijah, what he did and what he said, are written in the writings of the prophet Iddo.