Abijah's War with Jeroboam
(1 Kings 15.1-8)1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam of Israel, Abijah became king of Judah, 2 and he ruled three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Micaiah daughter of Uriel, from the city of Gibeah.
War broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah raised an army of 400,000 soldiers, and Jeroboam opposed him with an army of 800,000.
4 The armies met in the hill country of Ephraim. King Abijah went up Mount Zemaraim and called out to Jeroboam and the Israelites: “Listen to me!” he said. 5 “Don't you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, made an unbreakable covenant with David, giving him and his descendants kingship over Israel forever? 6 Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against Solomon, his king. 7 Later he gathered together a group of worthless scoundrels, and they forced their will on Rehoboam son of Solomon, who was too young and inexperienced to resist them. 8 Now you propose to fight against the royal authority that the Lord gave to David's descendants. You have a huge army and have with you the gold bull-calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9 You drove out the Lord's priests, the descendants of Aaron, and you drove out the Levites. In their place you appointed priests in the same way that other nations do. Anybody who comes along with a bull or seven sheep can get himself consecrated as a priest of those so-called gods of yours.
10 “But we still serve the Lord our God and have not abandoned him. Priests descended from Aaron perform their duties, and Levites assist them. 11 Every morning and every evening they offer him incense and animal sacrifices burned whole. They present the offerings of bread on a table that is ritually clean, and every evening they light the lamps on the gold lampstand. We do what the Lord has commanded, but you have abandoned him. 12 God himself is our leader and his priests are here with trumpets, ready to blow them and call us to battle against you. People of Israel, don't fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors! You can't win!”
13 Meanwhile Jeroboam had sent some of his troops to ambush the Judean army from the rear, while the rest faced them from the front. 14 The Judeans looked around and saw that they were surrounded. They cried to the Lord for help, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 The Judeans gave a loud shout, and led by Abijah, they attacked; God defeated Jeroboam and the Israelite army. 16 The Israelites fled from the Judeans, and God let the Judeans overpower them. 17 Abijah and his army dealt the Israelites a crushing defeat—half a million of Israel's best soldiers were killed. 18 And so the people of Judah were victorious over Israel, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam's army and occupied some of his cities: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, and the villages near each of these cities. 20 Jeroboam never regained his power during Abijah's reign. Finally the Lord struck him down, and he died.
21 Abijah, however, grew more powerful. He had fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the history of Abijah, what he said and what he did, is written in The History of Iddo the Prophet.
Abija valda pār Jūdu
(1Ķēn 15:1–8)1 Ķēniņa Jārobāma astoņpadsmitajā gadā Jūdā sāka valdīt Abija – 2 viņš valdīja Jeruzālemē trīs gadus. Viņa mātes vārds bija Maaha, Ūrīēla meita no Gibas. Un bija karš starp Abiju un Jārobāmu. 3 Abija devās uzbrukumā ar četri simti tūkstošiem varonīgu karavīru, bet Jārobāms lika pretī astoņi simti tūkstošus varonīgu karavīru.
4 Tad Abija nostājās uz Cemāraima kalna Efraima kalnos un sacīja: “Klausies mani, Jārobām un Israēl! 5 Vai tad nezināt, ka Kungs, Israēla Dievs, Israēla valsti uz mūžiem piešķīris Dāvidam un viņa dēliem ar sāls derību? 6 Bet Jārobāms, Nebāta dēls, Sālamana, Dāvida dēla, kalps sacēlās pret savu kungu! 7 Ap viņu salasījās visādi niekkalbji, nelieši, un tie viņu atbalstīja pret Rehabeāmu, Sālamana dēlu, kad Rehabeāms vēl bija nesaprātīgs zēns un nevarēja tiem pretoties. 8 Vai tagad jūs domājat pretoties Kunga valstij, kas nodota Dāvida dēliem?! Jūsu ir milzum daudz, jums ir zelta teļi – dievi, kurus Jārobāms jums darinājis! 9 Vai tad jūs nepadzināt Kunga priesterus, Ārona dēlus, un levītus un neiecēlāt sev priesterus tāpat kā citu zemju tautas? Ikviens nāca un pats iecēla sevi par priesteri tam, kas nav Dievs, dodams jaunu vērsēnu un septiņus aunus.
10 Bet mums ir Kungs, mūsu Dievs, un mēs viņu neesam atmetuši, un Kungam kalpo priesteri, Ārona dēli, un levīti tiem piekalpo. 11 Sadedzināmā upura dūmi ik rītu un vakaru ceļas pie Kunga, kā arī vīraka smarža, uz tīra zelta galda ir upurmaizes, uz zelta gaismekļu pamatnēm ik vakaru gail eļļas lukturīši, jo mēs ievērojam, ko Kungs, mūsu Dievs, ir noteicis – taču jūs viņu atmetāt! 12 Un, redzi, Dievs ir ar mums, viņš ir mūsu vadonis, un viņa priesteri pūš pret jums kara taures, Israēla dēli! Jūs nekarosiet pret Kungu, savu tēvu Dievu, tas jums neizdosies!”
13 Jārobāms lika tos apiet, doties uz slēpni un nokļūt tiem aizmugurē. Viņi bija gan Jūdas priekšā, gan slēpnī aizmugurē. 14 Jūda paraudzījās, un redzi – jākaro gan priekšā, gan aizmugurē! Tad viņi piesauca Kungu, un priesteri pūta taures, 15 un visi jūdi kliedza. Jūdiem kliedzot, Dievs sita Jārobāmu un visu Israēlu Abijas un Jūdas priekšā. 16 Israēla dēli bēga no Jūdas, bet Dievs tos bija nodevis viņiem – 17 Abija ar saviem ļaudīm tos kāva lielā slaktiņā. Israēlā nokauti krita pieci simti tūkstoši izlases vīru. 18 Israēla dēli todien tika pazemoti, bet Jūdas dēli bija stipri, jo viņi paļāvās uz Kungu, savu tēvu Dievu. 19 Abija vajāja Jārobāmu un atņēma tam pilsētas – Bēteli un tās ciemus, Ješānu un tās ciemus, kā arī Efronu un tās ciemus. 20 Abijas dienās Jārobāma spēks zuda, Kungs viņu sita, un viņš nomira.
21 Abija kļuva stiprs. Viņš ņēma četrpadsmit sievas, un tās viņam dzemdēja divdesmit divus dēlus un sešpadsmit meitas.
22 Pārējie Abijas darbi, viņa gaitas un tas, ko viņš sacījis, ir rakstīts pravieša Ido skaidrojumos. 23 Abija apgūlās pie tēviem, un viņu apbedīja Dāvida pilsētā. Pēc tam sāka valdīt viņa dēls Āsa. Viņa dienās zemē bija miers desmit gadus.
