Abijam King of Judah

15 Abijam became king of Judah. This was during the eighteenth year Jeroboam son of Nebat ruled Israel. ² And Abijam ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. ³ He did all the same sins his father before him had done. Abijam was not faithful to the Lord his God. In this way he was not like David, his great-grandfather. ⁴ Because the Lord had loved David, the Lord gave Abijam a kingdom in Jerusalem. And the Lord allowed him to have a son to be king after him. The Lord also kept Jerusalem safe. ⁵ David had always done what the Lord said was right. All his life he had always obeyed the Lord’s commands. There was only one time David did not obey the Lord. This was when he sinned against Uriah the Hittite.

⁶ Now there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam during Abijam’s lifetime. ⁷ Everything else Abijam did is written down. It is in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. During the time Abijam ruled, there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. ⁸ And Abijam died and was buried in Jerusalem. Abijam’s son Asa became king in his place.

Asa King of Judah

⁹ During the twentieth year Jeroboam was king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah. ¹⁰ Asa ruled in Jerusalem for 41 years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah. She was the daughter of Abishalom.

¹¹ Asa did what the Lord said was right. This was as his ancestor David had done. ¹² There were male prostitutes at the places where false gods were worshiped. Asa forced them to leave the country. He also took away the idols that his ancestors had made. ¹³ His grandmother Maacah had made a terrible Asherah idol. So Asa removed her from being queen. He cut down this idol and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ Asa was faithful to the Lord all his life. But he did not destroy the places where false gods were worshiped. ¹⁵ Asa and his father had given some things to God. They had given gifts of gold, silver and other objects. Asa put all these things in the Temple.

¹⁶ There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel. ¹⁷ Baasha fought against Judah. He wanted to stop people from leaving or entering Asa’s country, Judah. So he made the city of Ramah very strong.

¹⁸ Then Asa took all the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord and his own palace. He gave it to his officers. And he sent them to Ben-Hadad king of Aram. (Ben-Hadad was the son of Tabrimmon. And he was the son of Hezion.) Ben-Hadad was ruling in the city of Damascus. ¹⁹ Asa sent this message: “My father and your father had a peace agreement. I am sending you a gift of gold and silver. Break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will leave my land.”

²⁰ Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa. So he sent his army to fight against the towns of Israel. He defeated the towns of Ijon, Dan and Abel Bethmaacah. And he defeated all the land near Lake Galilee and the area of Naphtali. ²¹ Baasha heard about these attacks. So he stopped building up Ramah and returned to Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa gave an order to all the people of Judah. Everyone had to help. They carried away all the stones and wood Baasha had been using in Ramah. King Asa used those things to build up Geba and Mizpah. (Geba was in the land of Benjamin.)

²³ Everything else Asa did is written down. His victories and the cities he built are written down. They are in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. When he became old, he got a disease in his feet. ²⁴ Then Asa died. And he was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem. It was the city of David, his ancestor. Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became king in his place.

Nadab King of Israel

²⁵ Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel. This was during the second year Asa was king of Judah. And Nadab was king of Israel for two years. ²⁶ He did what the Lord said was wrong. Jeroboam had caused the people of Israel to sin. Nadab sinned in the same way his father Jeroboam had sinned.

²⁷ Baasha son of Ahijah was from the tribe of Issachar. He made plans to kill Nadab. Nadab and all Israel were attacking the Philistine town of Gibbethon. So Baasha killed Nadab there. ²⁸ This happened during Asa’s third year as king of Judah. And Baasha became the next king of Israel.

Baasha King of Israel

²⁹ As soon as Baasha became king, he killed all of Jeroboam’s family. He left no one in Jeroboam’s family alive. This happened as the Lord had said it would. The Lord had said this through his servant Ahijah from Shiloh. ³⁰ This happened because King Jeroboam had sinned very much. And he had caused the people of Israel to sin. Jeroboam had made the Lord, the God of Israel, very angry.

³¹ Everything else Nadab did is written down. It is in the book of the history of the kings of Israel. ³² There was war between Asa king of Judah and Baasha king of Israel all the time they were kings.

³³ Baasha son of Ahijah became king of Israel. This was during Asa’s third year as king of Judah. And Baasha ruled in Tirzah for 24 years. ³⁴ But Baasha did what the Lord said was wrong. Jeroboam had caused the people of Israel to sin. And Baasha sinned in the same way Jeroboam had sinned.