Abijam Reigns in Judah
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1Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah.
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He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
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And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and 2his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
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Nevertheless, for David's sake the LORD his God gave him 3a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem,
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because 4David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, 5except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
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6Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
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7The 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? 8And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
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9And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.
Asa Reigns In Judah
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In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah,
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and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
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10And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done.
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He put away the 11male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed 12all the idols that his fathers had made.
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13He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and 14burned it at the brook Kidron.
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15But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, 16the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days.
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And 17he brought into the house of the LORD the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.
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18And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
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19Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and 20built Ramah, 21that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
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Then Asa took all the silver and the gold 22that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. 23And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, 24who lived in Damascus, saying,
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"Let there be 25a covenanta between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me."
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And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered 26Ijon, 27Dan, 28Abel-beth-maacah, and all 29Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.
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Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built 32Geba of Benjamin and 33Mizpah.
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34Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet.
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And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and 35Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
Nadab Reigns in Israel
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36Nadab 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.
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He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD 37and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin 38which he made Israel to sin.
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39Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at 40Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.
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So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place.
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And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, 41according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.
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It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and 42that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel.
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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?
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43And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
Baasha Reigns in Israel
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In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years.
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He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD 44and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)