1 Kings 15 (NET)

Abijah’s Reign over Judah

1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah1 became king over Judah. 2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem.2 His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.3 3 He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been.4 4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God maintained his dynasty5 in Jerusalem by giving him a son6 to succeed him7 and by protecting Jerusalem.8 5 He did this9 because David had done what he approved10 and had not disregarded any of his commandments11 his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite. 6 Rehoboam12 and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other throughout Abijah’s13 lifetime. 7 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.14 Abijah and Jeroboam had been at war with each other. 8 Abijah passed away15 and was buried16 in the city of David. His son Asa replaced him as king.

Asa’s Reign over Judah

9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became the king of Judah. 10 He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem.17 His grandmother18 was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. 11 Asa did what the Lord approved19 like his ancestor20 David had done. 12 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols21 his ancestors22 had made. 13 He also removed Maacah his grandmother23 from her position as queen because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime.24 15 He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the Lord’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles.25

16 Now Asa and King Baasha of Israel were continually at war with each other.26 17 King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah and established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah.27 18 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then told them to deliver it28 to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 19 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made.29 See, I have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.”30 20 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel.31 They conquered32 Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth.33 21 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying34 Ramah and settled down in Tirzah. 22 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah (no exemptions were granted) to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah.35 King Asa used the materials to build up36 Geba (in Benjamin) and Mizpah.

23 The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, including all his successes and accomplishments, as well as a record of the cities he built, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.37 Yet when he was very old he developed a foot disease.38 24 Asa passed away39 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king.

Nadab’s Reign over Israel

25 In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Nadab became the king of Israel; he ruled Israel for two years. 26 He did evil in the sight of40 the Lord. He followed in his father’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin.41

27 Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, conspired against Nadab42 and assassinated him in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. This happened while Nadab and all the Israelite army were besieging Gibbethon. 28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah and replaced him as king. 29 When he became king, he executed Jeroboam’s entire family. He wiped out everyone who breathed,43 just as the Lord had predicted44 through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30 This happened because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit. These sins angered the Lord God of Israel.45

31 The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.46 32 Asa and King Nadab of Israel were continually at war with each other.

Baasha’s Reign over Israel

33 In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah; he ruled for twenty-four years. 34 He did evil in the sight of47 the Lord; he followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin.48

115:1tc The Old Greek also has the phrase “the son of Rehoboam.” 215:2map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 315:2sn Abishalom (also in v. 10) is a variant of the name Absalom (cf. 2 Chr 11:20). The more common form is used by TEV, NLT. 415:3tn Heb “his heart was not complete with the Lord his God, like the heart of David his father.” 515:4tn Heb “gave him a lamp.” 615:4tc The Old Greek has the plural “his sons.” 715:4tn Heb “by raising up his son after him.” 815:4tn Heb “and by causing Jerusalem to stand firm.” 915:5tn The words “he did this” are added for stylistic reasons. 1015:5tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” 1115:5tn Heb “and had not turned aside from all which he commanded him.” 1215:6tc Most Hebrew mss read “Rehoboam”; a few Hebrew mss and the Syriac read “Abijam” (a variant of Abijah). 1315:6tn Heb “his”; the referent (Abijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 1415:7tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Abijah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?” 1515:8tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” The Old Greek also has these words: “in the twenty-eighth year of Jeroboam.” 1615:8tn Heb “and they buried him.” 1715:10map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 1815:10tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors. 1915:11tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” 2015:11tn Heb “father,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors. 2115:12tn The word used here, גִלּוּלִים [gillulim], is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as “worthless things” (אֱלִילִים, ’elilim), “vanities” or “empty winds” (הֲבָלִים, havalim). 2215:12tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 24). 2315:13tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors. 2415:14tn Heb “yet the heart of Asa was complete with the Lord all his days.” 2515:15tn Heb “and he brought the holy things of his father and his holy things (into) the house of the Lord, silver, gold, and items.” Instead of “his holy things,” a marginal reading (Qere) in the Hebrew text has “the holy things of [the house of the Lord].” 2615:16tn Heb “There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.” 2715:17tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.” 2815:18tn Heb “King Asa sent it.” 2915:19tn Heb “[May there be] a covenant between me and you [as there was] between my father and your father.” 3015:19tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.” 3115:20tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.” 3215:20tn Heb “he struck down.” 3315:20tn Heb “and all Kinnereth together with all the land of Naphtali.” 3415:21tn Heb “building.” 3515:22tn Heb “and King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, there was no one exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.” 3615:22tn Heb “and King Asa built with them.” 3715:23tn Heb “As for the rest of all the events of Asa, and all his strength and all which he did and the cities which he built, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?” 3815:23tn Heb “Yet in the time of his old age he became sick in his feet.” 3915:24tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” 4015:26tn Heb “in the eyes of.” 4115:26tn Heb “and he walked in the way of his father and in his sin which he made Israel sin.” 4215:27tn Heb “against him”; the referent (Nadab) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 4315:29tn Heb “and when he became king, he struck down all the house of Jeroboam; he did not leave any breath to Jeroboam until he destroyed him.” 4415:29tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.” 4515:30tn Heb “because of Jeroboam which he committed and which he made Israel commit, by his provocation by which he made the Lord God of Israel angry.” 4615:31tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Nadab, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?” 4715:34tn Heb “in the eyes of.” 4815:34tn Heb “and he walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”