Abijam Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 13:1–3)
1 UST Abijah became the king of Judah when Jeroboam had been the king of Israel for almost 18 years. BSB BSB: In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king of Judah,
2 UST Abijah ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’ s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. BSB BSB: and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
3 UST Abijah committed the same kind of sins that his father had committed. He was not completely faithful to Yahweh his God as his ancestor David had been. BSB BSB: And Abijam walked in all the sins that his father before him had committed, and his heart was not as fully devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of David his forefather had been.
4 UST But Yahweh had promised to David that one of his descendants would always be king in Jerusalem. So Yahweh allowed Abijah’ s son to become king after he died. Yahweh also did not allow any enemies to conquer Jerusalem. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong.
5 UST Yahweh did that because David had done the things that he had told the Israelites were good to do. When Yahweh had told David to do something, David had always obeyed. The only time when David disobeyed Yahweh was when he{ had sexual relations with the wife of} Uriah the Hittite and{ tried to hide what he had done by} causing him to die in battle. BSB BSB: For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
6 UST The kingdoms of Judah and Israel had been enemies when Rehoboam and Jeroboam were their kings, and they continued to be enemies all during the time that Abijah ruled. BSB BSB: And there was war between the houses of Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Abijam’s life.
7 UST The book in which the kings of Judah recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Abijam did, including the war that he fought against King Jeroboam of Israel. BSB BSB: As for the rest of the acts of Abijam, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
8 UST Abijah died, and the Israelites buried him in the part of Jerusalem that people call the City of David. His son Asa became the next king. BSB BSB: And Abijam rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David, and his son Asa reigned in his place.
Asa Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 14:1–15; 2 Chronicles 15:8–19)
9 UST Asa started to rule Judah after Jeroboam had been the king of Israel for almost 20 years. BSB BSB: In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became king of Judah,
10 UST He ruled in Jerusalem for 41 years. His grandmother was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. BSB BSB: and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
11 UST Asa did the things that Yahweh had told the Israelites were good to do, as his ancestor David had done. BSB BSB: And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.
12 UST He forced the male shrine prostitutes to leave Israel, and he also destroyed all of the idols that his ancestors had made. BSB BSB: He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
13 UST His grandmother Maacah had been in the{ influential} position of queen mother, but he removed her from that position. He did that because she had made a disgusting wooden statue for the goddess Asherah. Asa had his servants cut down the statue and burn it in the Kidron Valley. BSB BSB: He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
14 UST He did not order his servants to destroy the shrines for worship on the top of hills. Even so, he was completely faithful to Yahweh for the whole time that he lived. BSB BSB: The high places were not removed, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted to the LORD all his days.
15 UST He told his servants to put in Yahweh’ s temple the valuable things that his father had dedicated. He also told them to put there the things that he had dedicated. These included gold, silver, and other valuable articles. BSB BSB: And he brought into the house of the LORD the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.
War between Asa and Baasha (2 Chronicles 16:1–6)
16 UST Asa fought wars against Baasha king of Israel during the whole time that he reigned. BSB BSB: Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.
17 UST Baasha’ s army invaded Judah. They captured the city of Ramah{ just north of Jerusalem}. Then they started to build a wall around it{ so that it would be a border fortress and they would be able} to prevent people from entering or leaving Asa’ s kingdom of Judah. BSB BSB: Baasha king of Israel went to war against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.
18 UST So Asa had his officials collect all of the silver and golden articles that were still in the storerooms in the temple and his palace. He told them to bring those things to Damascus and give them to Ben Hadad, the king who ruled Aram from that city. Ben Hadad was the son of Tabrimmon and the grandson of Hezion. Asa told his officials to tell Ben Hadad, BSB BSB: So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace. He entrusted it to his servants and sent them with this message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:
19 UST “My father had an alliance with your father, and I would like to have an alliance with you.{ To make that alliance}, I am giving you this silver and gold. So please break the alliance you have with Baasha, the king of Israel{, and attack him}. That way he will stop invading my kingdom{ because he will have to send his army to fight your army}.” BSB BSB: “Let there be a treaty between me and you as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
20 UST When the officials spoke that message to Ben Hadad, he agreed to do what Asa wanted. He ordered his commanders to lead their soldiers to attack some areas in the kingdom of Israel. They attacked the cities of Ijon, Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, the region of Chinnereth, and the whole territory of the tribe of Naphtali. BSB BSB: And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and the whole land of Naphtali, including the region of Chinnereth.
21 UST When Baasha learned that Ben Hadad’ s armies were attacking Israel, he ordered his soldiers to stop building the wall around Ramah. He and his soldiers returned to{ his capital city of Tirzah} and stayed there. BSB BSB: When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah.
22 UST Then King Asa sent messengers to tell the men throughout his kingdom of Judah that he was requiring them all to go to Ramah. They were to carry away the stones and timber that Baasha’ s soldiers had been using to build a wall around that city. With those stones and timber, King Asa had his workers fortify the city of Mizpah and the city that people call Geba that is within the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. BSB BSB: Then King Asa summoned all the men of Judah, with no exceptions, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials King Asa built up Geba of Benjamin, as well as Mizpah.
Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa (2 Chronicles 17:1–19)
23 UST The book in which the kings of Judah recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Asa did during his reign, including the battles that his armies won and the cities that he had his workers fortify.(When Asa became old, he got a foot disease.) BSB BSB: Now the rest of the acts of Asa, along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? In his old age, however, he became diseased in his feet.
24 UST Asa died, and the Israelites buried him in the part of Jerusalem that people call the City of David. That is where people had also buried his ancestors. Asa’ s son Jehoshaphat became the next king. BSB BSB: And Asa rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David, and his son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.
Nadab Reigns in Israel 25 UST Nadab son of Jeroboam started to rule Israel after Asa had been the king of Judah for almost two years. Nadab ruled Israel for two years. BSB BSB: In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, and he reigned two years.
26 UST He did many things that Yahweh had told the Israelites were evil. He behaved in the sinful way his father had behaved. He continued to lead the Israelites to sin{ by worshiping the calf statues at the shrines in Bethel and Dan}. BSB BSB: And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.
27 UST King Nadab and his soldiers were attacking the city of Gibbethon in the region of Philistia.{ One of his military commanders,} Baasha son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against him{ with some of the other commanders}. Baasha killed Nadab at Gibbethon. BSB BSB: Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging the city.
28 UST When Baasha killed Nadab, Asa had been the king of Judah for almost three years. Baasha became the next king of Israel. BSB BSB: In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha killed Nadab and reigned in his place.
29 UST As soon as he became king, Baasha commanded his soldiers to kill all the rest of Jeroboam’ s living descendants. He made sure that none of them survived. That is exactly what Yahweh had said would happen in the message that he gave to Ahijah the Shilonite, his servant. BSB BSB: As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,
30 UST Yahweh, the God whom the Israelites worship, spoke that message because he had become very angry with Jeroboam. Jeroboam made him angry by committing many sins and leading the people of Israel to commit sins. BSB BSB: because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he had provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.
31 UST The book in which the kings of Israel recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Nadab did. BSB BSB: As for the rest of the acts of Nadab, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
32 UST The armies of Asa and Baasha were continually at war with one another. BSB BSB: And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.
Baasha Reigns in Israel 33 UST Baasha son of Ahijah, started to rule Israel from the city of Tirzah after Asa had been the king of Judah for almost three years. He ruled for 24 years. BSB BSB: In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years.
34 UST Baasha did many things that Yahweh had told the Israelites were evil. He behaved the way King Jeroboam had behaved. He continued to lead the Israelites to sin{ by worshiping the calf statues at the shrines in Bethel and Dan}. BSB BSB: And Baasha did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.
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