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was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22 And Judah did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers 23 had done. For they also built them high places, and 'pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, 24 and under every green tree; and there were also "sodomites in the land: they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD drave out before the children of Israel.

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War with Shishak, king of Egypt.

And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up

1 Or, obelisks 2 See Deut. xxiii. 17.

2

And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against the LORD, 3 with twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen : and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubim, the Suk4 kiim, and the Ethiopians. And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came 5 unto Jerusalem. Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, therefore have I also left you 6 in the hand of Shishak. Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The LORD is righteous. 7 And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them:

26 against Jerusalem: and he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon 27 had made. And king Rehoboam

made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the 1guard, which kept the door of 28 the king's house. And it was so,

that as oft as the king went into the house of the LORD, the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of 30 Judah? And there was war be

1 Heb. runners.

but I will grant them 'some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. 9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all away he took away also the shields of gold which Solomon 10 had made. And king Rehoboam

made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the 2guard, that kept the door of the II king's house. And it was so, that

as oft as the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and bare them, and brought them back into the guard cham12 ber. And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and moreover in Judah there were 13 good things found. So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14 And he did that which was evil, because he set not his heart to 15 seek the LORD. Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the 'histories

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tween Rehoboam and Jeroboam 31 continually. And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his reigned in his stead.

15

:

son

of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, 'after the manner of genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and 16 Jeroboam continually. And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.

War between Jeroboam

Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat began Abijam to reign over 2 Judah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Maacah the daughter 3 of 1Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of 4 David his father. Nevertheless for David's sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem: 5 because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the 6 Hittite. Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7 And 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? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

2

1 In 2 Chr. xi. 20, 21, Absalom.

2 According to some authorities, Abijam.

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and Abijah.

In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign 2 over Judah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was 2 Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and 3 Jeroboam. And Abijah joined

battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who were 4 mighty men of valour. And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all 5 Israel; ought ye not to know that the LORD, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up, and rebelled 7 against his lord. And there were gathered unto him vain men, sons of Belial, which strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand

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8 them. And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for 9 gods. Have ye not driven out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the peoples of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a 10 priest of them that are no gods. But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and we have priests ministering unto II the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work: and they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; 12 but ye have forsaken him. And, behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD, the God of 13 your fathers; for ye shall not prosper. But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, 14 and the ambushment was behind them. And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them: and they cried 15 unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah 16 and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah and God 17 delivered them into their hand. And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five 18 hundred thousand chosen men. Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, 19 because they relied upon the LORD, the God of their fathers.

And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth-el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and 1Ephron 20 with the towns thereof. Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again 21 in the days of Abijah: and the LORD smote him, and he died. But

Abijah waxed mighty, and took unto himself fourteen wives, and begat 22 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 commentary of the prophet Iddo.

1 Another reading is, Ephrain.

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Asa's Reforms.

9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel began 10 Asa to reign over Judah. And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem and his mother's name was Maacah the daughter II of Abishalom. And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his 12 father. And he put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

3

2 1And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of 3 the LORD his God: for he took away the strange altars, and the high places, and brake down the 2pillars, and hewed down 4 the Asherim; and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. 5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images: and the kingdom 6 was quiet before him. And he built fenced cities in Judah for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years; because the 7 LORD had given him rest. For he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

Asa's war with Zerah the Ethiopian.

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And Asa had an army that bare bucklers and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.

1 [Ch. xiv. 1 in Heb.]

2 Or, obelisks

3 See Ex. xxxiv. 13.

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