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Abijam King of Judah(A)

15 Abijam [C “My father is the Sea” (symbol of chaos); compare Abijah (“My father is the Lord”) in 2 Chr. 13:1] became king of Judah during the eighteenth year Jeroboam son of Nebat was king of Israel. Abijam ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Abishalom [C David’s son Absalom]. He ·did [committed; L walked in] all the same sins his father before him had ·done [committed]. ·Abijam was not faithful [L His heart was not fully/wholly devoted] to the Lord his God as David, his ·great-grandfather [L father; C in the sense of ancestor], had been. ·Because the Lord loved David [For David’s sake], the Lord gave him a ·kingdom [L lamp; C possibly a metaphor for the reign of a king] in Jerusalem and allowed him to have a son to be king after him. The Lord also ·kept Jerusalem safe [strengthened/established Jerusalem]. David did what ·the Lord said was right [L was right in the eyes/sight of the Lord] and ·obeyed [L had not turned aside from] his commands all his ·life [L days], except ·the one time when David sinned ·against [in the case/matter of] Uriah the Hittite [2 Sam. 11–12].

There was war between ·Abijam[a] and Jeroboam during Abijam’s lifetime. Everything else Abijam did is written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Judah. There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. Abijam ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in the City of David [C Jerusalem], and his son Asa became king in his place.

Asa King of Judah

During the twentieth year Jeroboam was king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah. 10 His ·grandmother’s [mother’s; C in the sense of ancestor] name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom [15:2]. Asa ruled in Jerusalem for forty-one years.

11 Asa did what ·the Lord said was right [L was right in the eyes/sight of the Lord], as his ·ancestor [L father] David had done. 12 He ·forced the male prostitutes at the worship places to leave the country [expelled/banished the male cult prostitutes from the land; 14:24]. He also took away the idols that his ·ancestors [fathers] had made. 13 His ·grandmother [mother; ancestor] Maacah had made a ·terrible [obscene; repulsive; abominable] Asherah ·idol [pole; 14:15], so Asa removed her from being queen mother. He cut down ·that idol [her obscene/repulsive/abominable image/pole] and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 The ·places of worship to gods [L high places; 3:2] were not removed. Even so, Asa was ·faithful [devoted; true] to the Lord all his life. 15 Asa brought into the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord the gifts he and his father had ·given [dedicated]: gold, silver, and utensils.

16 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all ·the time they were kings [their days]. 17 Baasha ·attacked [invaded; L went up against] Judah, and he ·made the town of Ramah strong [fortified Ramah] so he could keep people from leaving or entering ·Judah, Asa’s country [L Asa, king of Judah].

18 Asa took the rest of the silver and gold from the treasuries of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and ·his own palace [L the treasuries of the king’s house] and gave it to his ·officers [officials; servants]. Then he sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, who was the son of Hezion. Ben-Hadad was the king of Aram and ·ruled [lived] in the city of Damascus. Asa said, 19 “Let there be a treaty between you and me as there was between my father and your father. I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will ·leave my land [withdraw from me].”

20 Ben-Hadad ·agreed with [listened to] King Asa, so he sent the commanders of his armies ·to attack [against] the towns of Israel. They defeated the towns of Ijon, Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, as well as all ·Galilee [L Kinnereth] and the area of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard about these attacks, he stopped ·building up [fortifying] Ramah and ·returned [withdrew] to Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa gave an ·order [proclamation] to all the people of Judah; everyone had to help carry away all the stones and ·wood [timber] Baasha had used in building Ramah, and they used them to build up Geba and Mizpah in the land of Benjamin.

23 Everything else Asa did—his ·victories [power] and the cities he built—·is [L are they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Judah. When he became old, he got a disease in his feet. 24 After Asa ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors], he was buried with his ·ancestors [fathers] in the City of David [C Jerusalem], his ·ancestor [father]. Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, ·became king [reigned] in his place.

Nadab King of Israel

25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel during the second year Asa was king of Judah. Nadab ·was king of [reigned over] Israel for two years, 26 and he did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Jeroboam had led the people of Israel to sin, and Nadab ·sinned in the same way as his father Jeroboam [L walked in the way/path of his father and in his sin].

27 Baasha son of Ahijah, from the ·tribe [L house] of Issachar, ·made plans to kill Nadab [plotted/conspired against him]. Nadab and all Israel were ·attacking [laying siege to] the Philistine town of Gibbethon, so Baasha killed Nadab there. 28 ·This happened [Baasha killed him] during Asa’s third year as king of Judah, and ·Baasha became the next king of Israel [reigned in his place].

Baasha King of Israel

29 As soon as Baasha became king, he killed all of Jeroboam’s ·family [L house], leaving no one in Jeroboam’s ·family [L house] alive. He destroyed them all ·as the Lord had said would happen [L according to the word which the Lord spoke] ·through [L by the hand of] his servant Ahijah from Shiloh. 30 All this was because King Jeroboam had sinned very much and had led the people of Israel to sin, ·provoking [arousing] the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger.

31 Everything else Nadab did ·is [L is it not…?]written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel. 32 There was war between Asa [C king of Judah] and Baasha king of Israel all ·the time they ruled [their days].

33 Baasha son of Ahijah became king of Israel during Asa’s third year as king of Judah. Baasha ruled in Tirzah for twenty-four years, 34 and he did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Jeroboam had led the people of Israel to sin, and Baasha ·sinned in the same way as [L walked in the way of] Jeroboam.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 15:6 Abijam Some Hebrew and Syriac copies read “Abijam.” Most Hebrew copies read “Rehoboam.”

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