1 Kings 15
Abijam Reigns over Judah
aNow in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was aMaacah the daughter of bAbishalom. 3 He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and ahis heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, like the heart of his father David. 4 But for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a alamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem; 5 abecause David did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, bexcept in the case of Uriah the Hittite. 6 aThere was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
7 Now athe 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? bAnd there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
Asa Succeeds Abijam
8 aAnd Abijam slept with his fathers and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son became king in his place.
9 So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king of Judah. 10 He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem; and ahis mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 aAsa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father. 12 aHe also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and bremoved all the idols which his fathers had made. 13 aHe also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and bburned it at the brook Kidron. 14 aBut the high places were not taken away; nevertheless bthe heart of Asa was wholly devoted to the Lord all his days. 15 aHe brought into the house of the Lord the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils.
16 aNow there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 aBaasha king of Israel went up against Judah and bfortified Ramah cin order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then aAsa took all the silver and the gold which were left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And bKing Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived in cDamascus, saying, 19 “Let there be a atreaty between you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you a present of silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” 20 So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and conquered aIjon, bDan, cAbel-beth-maacah and all dChinneroth, besides all the land of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard of it, ahe ceased fortifying Ramah and remained in bTirzah. 22 Then 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 built. And King Asa built with them aGeba of Benjamin and Mizpah.
Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa
23 aNow the rest of all the acts of Asa and all his might and all that he did and the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and aJehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
Nadab, then Baasha, Rules over Israel
25 Now aNadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and awalked in the way of his father and bin his sin which he made Israel sin. 27 Then aBaasha the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha struck him down at bGibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.
28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. 29 It came about as soon as he was king, he struck down all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam any persons alive, until he had destroyed them, aaccording to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30 and because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and awhich he made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.
31 aNow 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?
War with Judah
32 aThere was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel at Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and awalked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.
2 Chronicles 13-14
Abijah Succeeds Rehoboam
aIn the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
aNow there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah began the battle with an army of valiant warriors, 400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam drew up in battle formation against him with 800,000 chosen men who were valiant warriors.
Civil War
4 Then Abijah stood on Mount aZemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel: 5 Do you not know that athe Lord God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by ba covenant of salt? 6 Yet aJeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master, 7 and worthless men gathered about him, scoundrels, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, when ahe was young and timid and could not hold his own against them.
8 “So now you intend to resist the kingdom of the Lord through the sons of David, being a great multitude and having with you athe golden calves which Jeroboam made for gods for you. 9 aHave you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes bto consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams, even he may become a priest of what are cno gods. 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the sons of Aaron are ministering to the Lord as priests, and the Levites attend to their work. 11 Every morning and evening athey burn to the Lord burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and bthe showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening; for we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him. 12 Now behold, God is with us at our head and aHis priests with the signal trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
13 But Jeroboam ahad set an ambush to come from the rear, so that Israel was in front of Judah and the ambush was behind them. 14 When Judah turned around, behold, they were attacked both front and rear; so athey cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised a war cry, and when the men of Judah raised the war cry, then it was that God arouted Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 When the sons of Israel fled before Judah, aGod gave them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people defeated them with a great slaughter, so that 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain. 18 Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah conquered abecause they trusted in the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured from him several cities, Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron with its villages.
Death of Jeroboam
20 Jeroboam did not again recover strength in the days of Abijah; and the aLord struck him and bhe died.
21 But Abijah became powerful; and took fourteen wives to himself, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his words are written in athe treatise of bthe prophet Iddo.
Asa Succeeds Abijah in Judah
aSo Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and his son Asa became king in his place. The land was undisturbed for ten years during his days.
2 Asa did good and right in the sight of the Lord his God, 3 for he removed athe foreign altars and bhigh places, tore down the sacred pillars, cut down the cAsherim, 4 and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to observe the law and the commandment. 5 He also removed the high places and the aincense altars from all the cities of Judah. And the kingdom was undisturbed under him. 6 aHe built fortified cities in Judah, since the land was undisturbed, and there was no one at war with him during those years, bbecause the Lord had given him rest. 7 For he said to Judah, “aLet us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 Now Asa had an army of a300,000 from Judah, bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 from Benjamin, bearing shields and wielding bows; all of them were valiant warriors.
9 Now Zerah the Ethiopian acame out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and he came to bMareshah. 10 So Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up in battle formation in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 Then Asa acalled to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, bfor we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” 12 So athe Lord routed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as aGerar; and so many Ethiopians fell that they could not recover, for they were shattered before the Lord and before His army. And they carried away very much plunder. 14 They destroyed all the cities around Gerar, afor the dread of the Lord had fallen on them; and they despoiled all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15 They also struck down those who owned livestock, and they carried away large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Titus 3
Godly Living
aRemind them bto be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be cready for every good deed, 2 to malign no one, ato be peaceable, agentle, bshowing every consideration for all men. 3 aFor we also once were foolish ourselves, bdisobedient, cdeceived, denslaved to evarious lusts and pleasures, spending our life in fmalice and fenvy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the akindness of bGod our Savior and His love for mankind cappeared, 5 aHe saved us, bnot on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but caccording to His mercy, by the dwashing of regeneration and erenewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 awhom He poured out upon us brichly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made aheirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 aThis is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I bwant you to speak confidently, so that those who have cbelieved God will be careful to dengage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. 9 But aavoid bfoolish controversies and cgenealogies and strife and ddisputes about the Law, for they are eunprofitable and worthless. 10 aReject a bfactious man cafter a first and second warning, 11 knowing that such a man is aperverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.
Personal Concerns
12 When I send Artemas or aTychicus to you, bmake every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to cspend the winter there. 13 Diligently help Zenas the alawyer and bApollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. 14 aOur people must also learn to bengage in good deeds to meet cpressing needs, so that they will not be dunfruitful.
15 aAll who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us bin the faith.
cGrace be with you all.
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