Day 135 of 364

^12:1When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the LORD’s law, and all Israel with him. ^12:2In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against the LORD, ^12:3with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. The people were without number who came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians. ^12:4He took the fortified cities which belonged to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. ^12:5Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “The LORD says, ‘You have forsaken me, therefore I have also left you in the hand of Shishak.’” ^12:6Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “The LORD is righteous.” ^12:7When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the LORD’s word came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath won’t be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. ^12:8Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.” ^12:9So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the LORD’s house and the treasures of the king’s house. He took it all away. He also took away the shields of gold which Solomon had made. ^12:10King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. ^12:11As often as the king entered into the LORD’s house, the guard came and bore them, then brought them back into the guard room. ^12:12When he humbled himself, the LORD’s wrath turned from him, so as not to destroy him altogether. Moreover, there were good things found in Judah. ^12:13So King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned; for Rehoboam was forty-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. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. ^12:14He did that which was evil, because he didn’t set his heart to seek the LORD. ^12:15Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, aren’t they written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, in the genealogies? There were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. ^12:16Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city; and Abijah his son reigned in his place. ^13:1In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. ^13:2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ^13:3Abijah 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 mighty men of valor. ^13:4Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: ^13:5Ought you not to know that the LORD, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? ^13:6Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up, and rebelled against his lord. ^13:7Worthless men were gathered to him, wicked fellows who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender hearted, and could not withstand them. ^13:8“Now you intend to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David. You are a great multitude, and the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods are with you. ^13:9Haven’t you driven out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves according to the ways of the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of those who are no gods. ^13:10“But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests serving the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work. ^13:11They burn to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also set the show bread in order on the pure table, and care for the gold lamp stand with its lamps, to burn every evening; for we keep the instruction of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken him. ^13:12Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. Children of Israel, don’t fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers; for you will not prosper.” ^13:13But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them; so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them. ^13:14When Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried to the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. ^13:15Then the men of Judah gave a shout. As the men of Judah shouted, God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ^13:16The children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. ^13:17Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter, so five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell down slain. ^13:18Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers. ^13:19Abijah pursued Jeroboam, and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. ^13:20Jeroboam didn’t recover strength again in the days of Abijah. The LORD struck him, and he died. ^13:21But Abijah grew mighty and took for himself fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. ^13:22The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayings are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo. ^14:1So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in David’s city; and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days, the land was quiet ten years. ^14:2Asa did that which was good and right in the LORD his God’s eyes, ^14:3for he took away the foreign altars and the high places, broke down the pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, ^14:4and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to obey his law and command. ^14:5Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun images; and the kingdom was quiet before him. ^14:6He built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given him rest. ^14:7For he said to Judah, “Let’s build these cities and make walls around them, with towers, gates, and bars. The land is yet before us, 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. ^14:8Asa had an army of three hundred thousand out of Judah who bore bucklers and spears, and two hundred eighty thousand out of Benjamin who bore shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor. ^14:9Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million troops and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. ^14:10Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ^14:11Asa cried to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, there is no one besides you to help, between the mighty and him who has no strength. Help us, LORD our God; for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. LORD, you are our God. Don’t let man prevail against you.” ^14:12So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. ^14:13Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So many of the Ethiopians fell that they could not recover themselves, for they were destroyed before the LORD and before his army. Judah’s army carried away very much booty. ^14:14They struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came on them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. ^14:15They also struck the tents of those who had livestock, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, then returned to Jerusalem. ^15:1The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded. ^15:2He went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! The LORD is with you while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. ^15:3Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law. ^15:4But when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. ^15:5In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands. ^15:6They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity. ^15:7But you be strong! Don’t let your hands be slack, for your work will be rewarded.” ^15:8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill country of Ephraim; and he renewed the LORD’s altar that was before the LORD’s porch. ^15:9He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who lived with them out of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon; for they came to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. ^15:10So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. ^15:11They sacrificed to the LORD in that day, from the plunder which they had brought, seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep. ^15:12They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul; ^15:13and that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. ^15:14They swore to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with cornets. ^15:15All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found by them. Then the LORD gave them rest all around. ^15:16Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; so Asa cut down her image, ground it into dust, and burned it at the brook Kidron. ^15:17But the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. ^15:18He brought the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated, silver, gold, and vessels into God’s house. ^15:19There was no more war to the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.