1 In the eighteenth year of Sovereign Yaroḇ‛am, Aḇiyah began to reign over Yehuḏah.
2 He reigned three years in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was Miḵayahu the daughter of Uri’ĕl of Giḇ‛ah. And there was fighting between Aḇiyah and Yaroḇ‛am.
3 And Aḇiyah joined battle with an army of mighty men of battle, four hundred thousand choice men. And Yaroḇ‛am drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty brave men.
4 And Aḇiyah stood on Mount Tsemarayim, which is in the mountains of Ephrayim, and said, “Hear me, Yaroḇ‛am and all Yisra’ĕl:
5 “Do you not know that יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl has given the reign over Yisra’ĕl to Dawiḏ forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?
6 “Yet Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, the servant of Shelomoh son of Dawiḏ, rose up and rebelled against his master.
7 “And vain men gathered to him, sons of Beliya‛al, and strengthened themselves against Reḥaḇ‛am son of Shelomoh, when Reḥaḇ‛am was young and tender of heart and could not stand against them.
8 “And now you think to stand against the reign of יהוה, which is in the hand of the sons of Dawiḏ. And you are a large crowd, and with you are the gold calves which Yaroḇ‛am made for you as mighty ones.
9 “Have you not thrown out the priests of יהוה, the sons of Aharon, and the Lĕwites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of the lands, so that whoever comes to ordain himself with a young bull and seven rams then becomes a priest of what are not mighty ones?
10 “But as for us, יהוה is our Elohim, and we have not forsaken Him, and priests are serving יהוה, the sons of Aharon and the Lĕwites, in the work,
11 and are burning to יהוה every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense, and the showbread is set on the clean table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every evening, for we are guarding the Charge of יהוה our Elohim. But you have forsaken Him.
12 “And see, with us as Head is Elohim Himself, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Yisra’ĕl, do not fight against יהוה Elohim of your fathers, for you are not going to prosper!”
13 But Yaroḇ‛am sent round an ambush to go behind them, so they were in front of Yehuḏah, and the ambush was behind them.
14 And Yehuḏah turned and saw the battle was both in front and behind them. Then they cried out to יהוה, and the priests sounded the trumpets.
15 And the men of Yehuḏah gave a shout. And it came to be, as the men of Yehuḏah shouted, that Elohim smote Yaroḇ‛am and all Yisra’ĕl before Aḇiyah and Yehuḏah.
16 And the children of Yisra’ĕl fled before Yehuḏah, and Elohim gave them into their hand.
17 And Aḇiyah and his people smote them with a great slaughter, and five hundred thousand choice men of Yisra’ĕl fell slain.
18 And the children of Yisra’ĕl were humbled at that time, while the children of Yehuḏah prevailed, because they relied on יהוה Elohim of their fathers.
19 And Aḇiyah pursued Yaroḇ‛am and captured cities from him: Bĕyth Ěl with its villages, and Yeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages.
20 And Yaroḇ‛am did not regain power again in the days of Aḇiyahu. And יהוה smote him, and he died.
21 But Aḇiyah grew strong, and took fourteen wives, and brought forth twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 And the rest of the acts of Aḇiyah, and his ways, and his words are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.