1 Kings 15

1 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat began Abijam to reign over Judah.2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, as the heart of David his father.4 Nevertheless for David’s sake did Jehovah his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem;5 because David did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.6 Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

7 And the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.8 And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.

9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Asa to reign over Judah.10 And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.11 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, as did David his father.12 And he put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.13 And also Maacah his mother he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.14 But the high places were not taken away: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect with Jehovah all his days.15 And he brought into the house of Jehovah the things that his father had dedicated, and the things that himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.17 And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants; and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,19 There is a league between me and thee, between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.20 And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.21 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.22 Then king Asa made a proclamation unto all Judah; none was exempted: and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built therewith Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

23 Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.24 And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.

25 And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah; and he reigned over Israel two years.26 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.29 And it came to pass that, as soon as he was king, he smote all the house of Jeroboam: he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him; according unto the saying of Jehovah, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite;30 for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin, because of his provocation wherewith he provoked Jehovah, the God of Israel, to anger.

31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty and four years.34 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

1 KINGS 15

King Abijam of Judah

(2 Chronicles 13.1-22)

1 Abijam became king of Judah in Jeroboam's eighteenth year as king of Israel,

2 and he ruled from Jerusalem for three years. His mother was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
3 Abijam did not truly obey the [Lord] his God as his ancestor David had done. Instead, he was sinful just like his father Rehoboam.

4-5 t David had always obeyed the [Lord]'s commands by doing right, except in the case of Uriah.t And since Abijam was David's great-grandson, the [Lord] kept Jerusalem safe and let Abijam have a son who would be the next king.

6-7  t The war that had broken out between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continued during the time that Abijam was king.
Everything else Abijam did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah.

8 Abijam died and was buried in Jerusalem, t and his son Asa became king.

King Asa of Judah

(2 Chronicles 15.16—16.6,11-13)

10 and he ruled 41 years from Jerusalem. His grandmother was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
11 Asa obeyed the [Lord], as David had done. 12 t He forced the prostitutest at the shrines to leave the country, and he got rid of the idols his ancestors had made.

13 His own grandmother Maacah had made an idol of Asherah, and Asa took it and burned it in Kidron Valley. Then he removed Maacah from her position as queen mother.t
14 As long as Asa lived, he was completely faithful to the [Lord], even though he did not destroy the local shrines.

15 He placed in the temple all the silver and gold objects that he and his father had dedicated to the [Lord].
16 Asa was always at war with King Baasha of Israel.

17 One time, Baasha invaded Judah and captured the town of Ramah. He started making the town stronger, so he could put troops there to stop people from going in and out of Judah.
18 When Asa heard about this, he took the silver and gold from his palace and from the [Lord]'s temple. He gave it to some of his officials and sent them to Damascus with this message for King Benhadadt of Syria:

19 “Our fathers signed a peace treaty. Why don't we do the same thing? This silver and gold is a present for you. So, would you please break your treaty with Baasha and force him to leave my country?”
20 Benhadad did what Asa asked and sent the Syrian army into Israel. They captured the towns of Ijon, Dan, and Abel-Bethmaacah, and the territories of Chinneroth and Naphtali.

21 When Baasha heard about it, he left Ramah and went back to Tirzah.

22 Asa ordered everyone in Judah to carry away the stones and wood Baasha had used to strengthen the town of Ramah. Then he used these same stones and wood to fortify the town of Geba in the territory of Benjamin and the town of Mizpah.
23 Everything else Asa did while he was king, including his victories and the towns he rebuilt, is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. When he got older, he had a foot disease.

24 Asa died and was buried in the tomb of his ancestors in Jerusalem.t His son Jehoshaphat then became king.

King Nadab of Israel

26 Nadab disobeyed the [Lord] by following the evil example of his father, who had caused the Israelites to sin.

27-28 Baasha son of Ahijah was from the tribe of Issachar, and he made plans to kill Nadab. When Nadab and his army went to attack the town of Gibbethon in Philistia, Baasha killed Nadab there. So in the third year of Asa's rule, Baasha became king of Israel.
29  t The [Lord]'s prophet Ahijah had earlier said, “Not one man or boy in Jeroboam's family will be left alive.” And, as soon as Baasha became king, he killed everyone in Jeroboam's family,

30 because Jeroboam had made the [Lord] God of Israel angry by sinning and causing the Israelites to sin.

31 Everything else Nadab did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Israel.

32 King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel were always at war.

King Baasha of Israel