1 In the eighteenth {esreh: number component} year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah {Yehudah: southern kingdom}.
2 And he reigned in Jerusalem {biyrushalayim: capital and cultic center} three years. The name of his mother was Micaiah {mikhayahu: Who is like YHWH?}, daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3 Abijah marshaled an army of four hundred thousand chosen men for battle and drew up the battle lines {arakh: tactical formation}; Jeroboam likewise arranged eight hundred thousand chosen warriors {giborei: veteran battle force} against him.
4 And Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim {Tsemarayim: Reed Heights}, in the hill country of Ephraim {Ephraim: Fruitful Land}, and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!”
5 Is it not for you to know that the LORD God of Israel {YHWH Elohei Yisrael, Davidic Kingmaker} has given the kingdom over Israel to David forever—to him and to his sons—by a covenant of salt, salt {melach: lasting bond}?
6 Nevertheless, Jeroboam son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon son of David, rose up {vayakam: seized initiative} and rebelled against his master {adon: rightful superior}.
7 And worthless men, sons of Belial {beliyaal: utter lawlessness}, gathered against him and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam son of Solomon; and Rehoboam was a youth and tender of heart, and he did not strengthen himself {hitchazek: hold firm} before them.
8 And now, you are saying that you will strengthen yourselves before the kingdom of the LORD {YHWH, Covenant King} in the hand of the sons of David, and you are a great multitude, and with you are golden calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods {elohim: idol deities}.
9 Is it not so that you drove away the priests of the LORD {YHWH, Priesthood Ordainer}—the sons of Aaron and the Levites—and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of the lands? Everyone who comes to consecrate {male: ordination rite} his hand with a young bull and seven rams becomes a priest for what are not gods.
10 But as for us, the LORD{YHWH Eloheinu, Our True King} is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests{kohanim: Aaronic priests} minister to the LORD—sons of Aaron—and the Levites are in the work.
11 And they make offerings go up in smoke to the LORD {YHWH, Worship Receiver}—burnt offerings {olot: whole offering} morning by morning and evening by evening, and incense of spices—and they set an arrangement of bread on the pure table, and the gold lampstand with its lamps to keep burning evening by evening; for we are keeping the charge of the LORD our God {YHWH Eloheinu, Covenant Commander}, but you have forsaken Him.
12 And look, the God {Elohim, Our Front Leader} is with us at the head, with His priests and the trumpets {chatzotzerot: priestly signals} of the alarm shout to sound an alarm against you. Sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD {YHWH, Your Fathers’ Defender}, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.
13 And Jeroboam {yerav'am: Northern Rival} turned the ambush {ma'arav: surprise force} to come from behind them, and they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
14 And Judah turned, and behold {hinneh: sudden reversal}, the battle was in front of them and behind; and they cried out to the LORD {YHWH, Hearing Savior}, and the priests sounded the trumpets.
15 So the men of Judah shouted {rua: battle cry}, and as the men of Judah shouted, God {Elohim, Battle Judge} struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 And the sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God {Elohim, Sovereign Judge} gave them into their hand {yad: battle power}.
17 And Abijah {aviyyahu: Judah’s King} and his people struck them with a great blow {makkah: crushing slaughter}, and 500,000 young men from Israel fell slain.
18 The sons of Israel were subdued in that time; the sons of Judah prevailed, because they leaned on the LORD {YHWH, Battle Protector}, the God {Elohim, Covenant Rememberer} of their fathers.
19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured cities from him: Bethel {beit-el: cult center} and its villages {benoteyha: satellite towns}, Jeshanah and its villages, and Ephron (Ephraim) and its villages.
20 And Jeroboam did not recover{atsar: regain strength} strength again in the days of Abijah, and the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Judge} struck him, and he died. ¶
21 But Abijah {Aviyahu: Dynasty Leader} strengthened himself, and he took fourteen wives for himself and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters {banot: female offspring}.
22 And the remainder of the words of Abijah, his ways, and his words are written in the commentary {midrash: explanatory record} of the prophet Iddo {iddo: royal chronicler}.