131 In the eighteenth e 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 . Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam . 3 Abijah began the battle with an army of valiant warriors , 400,000 e e chosen men , while Jeroboam drew up in battle formation against him with 800,000 e e chosen men who were valiant warriors . 4 Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim , which is in the hill country of Ephraim , and said , "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel : 5 "Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and 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 against his master , 7 and worthless men gathered about him, scoundrels e , who proved too strong for Rehoboam , the son of Solomon , when he was young and timid e 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 the golden calves which Jeroboam made for gods for you. 9 " Have 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 to consecrate e himself with a young bull and seven rams , even he may become a priest of what are no 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 they burn to the Lord burnt offerings and fragrant incense , and the showbread e 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 His 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 had set an ambush to come from the rear , so that Israel was in front of Judah and the ambush was behind e them. 14 When Judah turned around , behold , they were attacked both front and rear ; so they 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 routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah . 16 When the sons of Israel fled before e Judah , God gave them into their hand . 17 Abijah and his people defeated them with a great slaughter , so that 500,000 e e chosen men of Israel fell slain . 18 Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time , and the sons of Judah conquered because 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 . 20 Jeroboam did not again recover strength in the days of Abijah ; and the Lord struck him and he died . 21 But Abijah became powerful ; and took fourteen e wives to himself, and became the father of twenty-two e sons and sixteen e daughters . 22 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah , and his ways and his words are written in the treatise of the prophet Iddo .
