בִּשְׁנַת שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לַמֶּלֶךְ יָרָבְעָם וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֲבִיָּה עַל־יְהוּדָה׃ 13:1
2Chr. 13:1 And in the eighteenth year for king Jeroboam Abijah became king over Judah.
This verse is almost identical to 1Kin. 15:1, the only difference being Abijah’s name, which there is Abijam.
שָׁלוֹשׁ שָׁנִים מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִַם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ מִיכָיָהוּ בַת־אוּרִיאֵל מִן־גִּבְעָה וּמִלְחָמָה הָיְתָה בֵּין אֲבִיָּה וּבֵין 13:2
יָרָבְעָם׃
2Chr. 13:2 He was king three years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother was Micaiah, daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
This verse is similar to 1Kin. 15:2, but it also conveys some different information. There his mother was Maacah, daughter of Abishalom.
וַיֶּאְסֹר אֲבִיָּה אֶת־הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּחַיִל גִּבֹּורֵי מִלְחָמָה אַרְבַּע־מֵאֹות אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּרס וְיָרָבְעָם עָרַךְ 13:3
עִמֹּו מִלְחָמָה בִּשְׁמֹונֶה מֵאֹות אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר גִּבֹּור חָיִל׃
2Chr. 13:3 And Abijah began the battle with an army of four hundred thousand mighty men of battle, each a select man, and Jeroboam was set in battle array against him with eight hundred thousand, each a select man, a mighty man of valor.
Most of the rest of this chapter, vss. 13:3 to 13:21, is not found in 1Kings Chapter 15 or elsewhere. The history of Abijah is much shortened in 1Kings.
וַיָּקָם אֲבִיָּה מֵעַל לְהַר צְמָרַיִם אֲשֶׁר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמָעוּנִי יָרָבְעָם וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ 13:4
2Chr. 13:4 And Abijah stood from on top of mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel!”
הֲלֹא לָכֶם לָדַעַת כִּי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נָתַן מַמְלָכָה לְדָוִיד עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעוֹלָם לוֹ וּלְבָנָיו בְּרִית 13:5
מֶלַח׃
2Chr. 13:5 “Is it not yours to know that the Lord, God of Israel, gave dominion to David over Israel forever, for him and for his sons, a covenant of salt?”
וַיָּקָם יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט עֶבֶד שְׁלֹמֹה בֶן־דָּוִיד וַיִּמְרֹד עַל־אֲדֹנָיו׃ 13:6
2Chr. 13:6 “Nevertheless Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master.”
וַיִּקָּבְצוּ עָלָיו אֲנָשִׁים רֵקִים בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל וַיִּתְאַמְּצוּ עַל־רְחַבְעָם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹה וּרְחַבְעָם הָיָה נַעַר וְרַךְ־לֵבָב 13:7
וְלֹא הִתְחַזַּק לִפְנֵיהֶם׃
2Chr. 13:7 “And vain men gathered by him, scoundrels, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young and weak hearted and he was not strengthened because of them.”
וְעַתָּה אַתֶּם אֹמְרִים לְהִתְחַזֵּק לִפְנֵי מַמְלֶכֶת יְהוָה בְּיַד בְּנֵי דָוִיד וְאַתֶּם הָמוֹן רָב וְעִמָּכֶם עֶגְלֵי זָהָב 13:8
אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לָכֶם יָרָבְעָם לֵאלֹהִים׃
2Chr. 13:8 “And now you are thinking to use your strength before the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David. Now you are a great multitude, but you are with the calves of gold that Jeroboam made for you for gods.”
הֲלֹא הִדַּחְתֶּם אֶת־כֹּהֲנֵי יְהוָה אֶת־בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְהַלְוִיִּם וַתַּעֲשׂוּ לָכֶם כֹּהֲנִים כְּעַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת כָּל־הַבָּא 13:9
לְמַלֵּא יָדוֹ בְּפַר בֶּן־בָּקָר וְאֵילִם שִׁבְעָה וְהָיָה כֹהֵן לְלֹא אֱלֹהִים׃
2Chr. 13:9 “Did you not banish the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of the countries anyone who came his hand being filled with a young bullock and seven rams, and he would be a priest without god?”
וַאֲנַחְנוּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְלֹא עֲזַבְנֻהוּ וְכֹהֲנִים מְשָׁרְתִים לַיהוָה בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְהַלְוִיִּם בַּמְלָאכֶת׃ 13:10
2Chr. 13:10 “But the Lord is our God and we have not forsaken Him, and sons of Aaron are priests ministering to the Lord, and the Levites in the work,
וּמַקְטִרִים לַיהוָה עֹלוֹת בַּבֹּקֶר־בַּבֹּקֶר וּבָעֶרֶב־בָּעֶרֶב וּקְטֹרֶת־סַמִּים וּמַעֲרֶכֶת לֶחֶם עַל־הַשֻּׁלְחָן 13:11
הַטָּהוֹר וּמְנוֹרַת הַזָּהָב וְנֵרֹתֶיהָ לְבָעֵר בָּעֶרֶב בָּעֶרֶב כִּי־שֹׁמְרִים אֲנַחְנוּ אֶת־מִשְׁמֶרֶת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאַתֶּם
עֲזַבְתֶּם אֹתוֹ׃
2Chr. 13:11 and are making burnt offerings smoke to the Lord every morning and every evening and sweet incenses, and setting the row of showbread on the clean table, and the candlestick of gold and its lamps to burn every evening, for we are observing the obligation of the Lord, our God. But you have forsaken Him.”
וְהִנֵּה עִמָּנוּ בָרֹאשׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וְכֹהֲנָיו וַחֲצֹצְרוֹת הַתְּרוּעָה לְהָרִיעַ עֲלֵיכֶם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אַל־תִּלָּחֲמוּ 13:12
עִם־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי־אֲבֹתֵיכֶם כִּי־לֹא תַצְלִיחוּ׃
2Chr. 13:12 “So behold, God is with us at the head, and His priests, and the trumpets of alarm are to sound in triumph against you. Sons of Israel, you must not fight with the Lord, God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”
The third word in this verse, בָרֹאש, could be translated as in the beginning in other contexts.
וְיָרָבְעָם הֵסֵב אֶת־הַמַּאְרָב לָבוֹא מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיִּהְיוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוּדָה וְהַמַּאְרָב מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם׃ 13:13
2Chr. 13:13 But Jeroboam made an ambush go around to come from behind them, so they were before Judah and the ambush was behind them.
וַיִּפְנוּ יְהוּדָה וְהִנֵּה לָהֶם הַמִּלְחָמָה פָּנִים וְאָחֹור וַיִּצְעֲקוּ לַיהוָה וְהַכֹּהֲנִים (מַחֲצֹצְרִים) [מַחְצְרִים 13:14
בַּחֲצֹצְרֹות׃
2Chr. 13:14 Then Judah looked back and behold, for them the battle was in front and behind, and they cried out to the Lord as the priests were blowing on the trumpets.
We’ve seen the error in the parentheses twice before. The correction is to the left of the right bracket.
וַיָּרִיעוּ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וַיְהִי בְּהָרִיעַ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְהָאֱלֹהִים נָגַף אֶת־יָרָבְעָם וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי אֲבִיָּה 13:15
וִיהוּדָה׃
2Chr. 13:15 As the men of Judah shouted, then it was with the shouting of the men of Judah that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
וַיָּנוּסוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִפְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וַיִּתְּנֵם אֱלֹהִים בְּיָדָם׃ 13:16
2Chr. 13:16 When the sons of Israel fled from before Judah, then God delivered them into their hand.
וַיַּכּוּ בָהֶם אֲבִיָּה וְעַמּוֹ מַכָּה רַבָּה וַיִּפְּלוּ חֲלָלִים מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר׃ 13:17
2Chr. 13:17 And Abijah and his people struck a great blow among them, and five hundred thousand from Israel, each select, fell slain.
וַיִּכָּנְעוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעֵת הַהִיא וַיֶּאֶמְצוּ בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה כִּי נִשְׁעֲנוּ עַל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם׃ 13:18
2Chr. 13:18 So the children of Israel were brought low at that time and the children of Judah were more secure, because they depended on the Lord, God of their ancestors.
וַיִּרְדֹּף אֲבִיָּה אַחֲרֵי יָרָבְעָם וַיִּלְכֹּד מִמֶּנּוּ עָרִים אֶת־בֵּית־אֵל וְאֶת־בְּנֹותֶיהָ וְאֶת־יְשָׁנָה וְאֶת־בְּנֹותֶיהָ 13:19
וְאֶת־ (עֶפְרֹון) [עֶפְרַיִן] וּבְנֹתֶיהָ׃
2Chr. 13:19 And Abijah followed after Jeroboam and captured, of cities, from him Beth-el and its villages, Jeshanah and its villages, and Ephrain and its villages.
The word in error in the parentheses, translated as Ephron, is not the name of a town. The town intended is thought to be Ephrain, as modified in the brackets.
וְלֹא־עָצַר כֹּחַ־יָרָבְעָם עוֹד בִּימֵי אֲבִיָּהוּ וַיִּגְּפֵהוּ יְהוָה וַיָּמֹת׃ 13:20
2Chr. 13:20 And Jeroboam did not have strength again in the days of Abijah; then the Lord smote him, and he died.
וַיִּתְחַזֵּק אֲבִיָּהוּ וַיִּשָּׂא־לוֹ נָשִׁים אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה וַיּוֹלֶד עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁנַיִם בָּנִים וְשֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה בָּנוֹת׃ 13:21
2Chr. 13:21 And Abijah strengthened himself, and took for himself fourteen wives and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי אֲבִיָּה וּדְרָכָיו וּדְבָרָיו כְּתוּבִים בְּמִדְרַשׁ הַנָּבִיא עִדּוֹ׃ 13:22
2Chr. 13:22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, with his ways and his words, are recorded in the survey of the prophet Iddo.
These last two verses correspond to 1Kin. 15:7 and 15:8 with an addition here at the end of the next verse.
וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֲבִיָּה עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וַיִּמְלֹךְ אָסָא בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו בְּיָמָיו שָׁקְטָה הָאָרֶץ 13:23
עֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים׃
2Chr. 13:23 Then Abijah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David, and Asa, his son, became king in his place. In his days the land was at peace ten years.
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