In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.
He reigned three years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
Abijah went out to battle with valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men; and Jeroboam set his army in order against him, having 800,000 chosen men who were mighty men of valor.
Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel,
don’t you know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the kingship over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons, by a covenant of salt?
Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.
Worthless men, sons of Belial, gathered around him and they strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted and could not withstand them.
“And now you intend to stand against the kingship of Yahweh that is in the hand of the sons of David. You are indeed a great multitude, and you have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.
But haven’t you driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and also the Levites, and made for yourselves priests just like the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to ordain himself with a young bull and seven rams, he can become a priest of what are not gods.
“But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not abandoned him, and we have priests—the sons of Aaron—serving Yahweh, and the Levites doing their work,
and every morning and every evening they burn burnt offerings and sweet incense into smoke to Yahweh. They also set the Bread of the Presence in order on the ceremonially clean table and the menorah of gold with its lamps is prepared to burn every evening, for we keep the instruction of Yahweh our God, but you have abandoned him.
Behold, God is with us at our head, and also his priests who have the battle trumpets to sound an attack against you. Sons of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
But Jeroboam had sent an ambush to come around behind them, so that they were in front of Judah and the ambush was behind them.
When Judah turned around, behold, the battle was in front of them and behind them, so they cried out to Yahweh, and the priests blew the trumpets.
Then the men of Judah shouted, and as the men of Judah shouted, God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
The sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand.
Abijah and his people struck them down with a great slaughter, so 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell down slain.
Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed because they relied on Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
Abijah pursued after Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its daughter-towns and Jeshanah with its daughter-towns and Ephron with its daughter-towns.
Jeroboam did not regain power again in the days of Abijah. Yahweh struck him, and he died.
But Abijah grew strong and took for himself 14 wives and fathered 22 sons and 16 daughters.
And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his sayings, are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.