¶ Now in the eighteenth¹ year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.

He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Michaiah² the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was⁶ war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

And Abijah set⁷ the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred⁸ thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred⁹ thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.

And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim¹⁰, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me,¹¹ thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;

Ought ye not¹² to know that the LORD¹³ God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David¹⁴ for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt¹⁵?

Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled¹⁶ against his lord.

And there are gathered unto him vain men¹⁷, the children of Belial¹⁸, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young¹⁹ and tenderhearted, and could not²⁰ withstand them.

And now ye think to withstand the kingdom²¹ of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude²², and there are with you golden²³ calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.

Have ye not cast out²⁴ the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests²⁵ after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young²⁷ bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods²⁸.

¶ But as for us, the LORD²⁹ is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests³⁰, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:

And they burn³¹ unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense³²: the shewbread³³ also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick³⁴ of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep³⁵ the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.

And, behold, God³⁶ himself is with us for our captain³⁷, and his priests³⁸ with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye³⁹ not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not⁴⁰ prosper.

¶ But Jeroboam caused an ambushment⁴¹ to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.

And when Judah looked back⁴², behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried⁴³ unto the LORD, and the priests⁴⁴ sounded with the trumpets.

Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men⁴⁵ of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote⁴⁶ Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered⁴⁷ them into their hand.

And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred⁴⁸ thousand chosen men.

Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied⁴⁹ upon the LORD God of their fathers.

And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities⁵⁰ from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah⁵¹ with the towns thereof, and Ephrain⁵² with the towns thereof.

¶ Neither did⁵⁴ Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD⁵⁵ struck him, and he died⁵⁶.

But Abijah waxed⁵⁷ mighty, and married fourteen wives⁵⁸, and begat⁵⁹ twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story⁶⁰ of the prophet Iddo.