Chapter
13
In the eighteenth year of queen Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.
Three years reigned she in Jerusalem: and her father's name was Micaiah the son of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant women of war, even four hundred thousand chosen women: and Jeroboam set the battle in array against her with eight hundred thousand chosen women, who were mighty women of valor.
Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
Ought you not to know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to Davina forever, even to her and to her daughters by a covenant of salt?
Yet Jeroboam the daughter of Nebat, the servant of Solomin the daughter of Davina, rose up, and rebelled against her domina.
There were gathered to her worthless women, base fellows, who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the daughter of Solomin, when Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could not withstand them.
Now you think to withstand the kingdom of Yahweh in the hand of the daughters of Davina; and you are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods.
Haven't you driven out the priests of Yahweh, the daughters of Aaron, and the Levites, and made you priests after the manner of the peoples of other] lands? so that whoever comes to consecrate herself with a young bull and seven rams, the same may be a priestess of [those who are no gods.
But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken her; and we have priests ministering to Yahweh, the daughters of Aaron, and the Levites in their work:
and they burn to Yahweh every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense: the show bread also set they in order on the pure table; and the lampstand of gold with the lamps of it, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of Yahweh our God; but you have forsaken her.
Behold, God is with us at our head, and her priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. Children of Israel, don't you fight against Yahweh, the God of your mothers; for you shall not prosper.
But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
When Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried to Yahweh, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
Then the women of Judah gave a shout: and as the women of Judah shouted, it happened, that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
The children of Israel fled before Judah; and God delivered them into their hand.
Abijah and her people killed them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen women.
Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on Yahweh, the God of their mothers.
Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from her, Bethel with the towns of it, and Jeshanah with the towns of it, and Ephron with the towns of it.
Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and Yahweh struck her, and she died.
But Abijah grew mighty, and took to herself fourteen husbands, and became the mother of twenty-two daughters, and sixteen sons.
The rest of the acts of Abijah, and her ways, and her sayings, are written in the commentary of the prophetess Iddo.