1 Kings 15

Abijah became the king of Judah when Jeroboam had been the king of Israel for almost 18 years.

Abijah ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

Abijah committed the same kind of sins that his father had committed. He was not completely faithful to God his God as his ancestor David had been. \*

But God had promised to David that one of his descendants would always be king in Jerusalem. So God allowed Abijah’s son to become king after he died. God also did not allow any enemies to conquer Jerusalem.

God did that because David had done the things that he had told the Israelites were good to do. When God had told David to do something, David had always obeyed. The only time when David disobeyed God was when he {had sexual relations with the wife of} Uriah the Hittite and {tried to hide what he had done by} causing him to die in battle.

The kingdoms of Judah and Israel had been enemies when Rehoboam and Jeroboam were their kings, and they continued to be enemies all during the time that Abijah ruled. \*

The book in which the kings of Judah recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Abijam did, including the war that he fought against King Jeroboam of Israel.

Abijah died, and the Israelites buried him in the part of Jerusalem that people call the City of David. His son Asa became the next king. \*

Asa started to rule Judah after Jeroboam had been the king of Israel for almost 20 years.

He ruled in Jerusalem for 41 years. His grandmother was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

Asa did the things that God had told the Israelites were good to do, as his ancestor David had done. \*

He forced the male shrine prostitutes to leave Israel, and he also destroyed all of the idols that his ancestors had made.

His grandmother Maacah had been in the {influential} position of queen mother, but he removed her from that position. He did that because she had made a disgusting wooden statue for the goddess Asherah. Asa had his servants cut down the statue and burn it in the Kidron Valley. \*

He did not order his servants to destroy the shrines for worship on the top of hills. Even so, he was completely faithful to God for the whole time that he lived.

He told his servants to put in God’s temple the valuable things that his father had dedicated. He also told them to put there the things that he had dedicated. These included gold, silver, and other valuable articles. \*

Asa fought wars against Baasha king of Israel during the whole time that he reigned.

Baasha’s army invaded Judah. They captured the city of Ramah {just north of Jerusalem}. Then they started to build a wall around it {so that it would be a border fortress and they would be able} to prevent people from entering or leaving Asa’s kingdom of Judah. \*

So Asa had his officials collect all of the silver and golden articles that were still in the storerooms in the temple and his palace. He told them to bring those things to Damascus and give them to Ben Hadad, the king who ruled Aram from that city. Ben Hadad was the son of Tabrimmon and the grandson of Hezion. Asa told his officials to tell Ben Hadad,

“My father had an alliance with your father, and I would like to have an alliance with you. {To make that alliance}, I am giving you this silver and gold. So please break the alliance you have with Baasha, the king of Israel{, and attack him}. That way he will stop invading my kingdom {because he will have to send his army to fight your army}.” \*

When the officials spoke that message to Ben Hadad, he agreed to do what Asa wanted. He ordered his commanders to lead their soldiers to attack some areas in the kingdom of Israel. They attacked the cities of Ijon, Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, the region of Chinnereth, and the whole territory of the tribe of Naphtali.

When Baasha learned that Ben Hadad’s armies were attacking Israel, he ordered his soldiers to stop building the wall around Ramah. He and his soldiers returned to {his capital city of Tirzah} and stayed there.

Then King Asa sent messengers to tell the men throughout his kingdom of Judah that he was requiring them all to go to Ramah. They were to carry away the stones and timber that Baasha’s soldiers had been using to build a wall around that city. With those stones and timber, King Asa had his workers fortify the city of Mizpah and the city that people call Geba that is within the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. \*

The book in which the kings of Judah recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Asa did during his reign, including the battles that his armies won and the cities that he had his workers fortify. (When Asa became old, he got a foot disease.)

Asa died, and the Israelites buried him in the part of Jerusalem that people call the City of David. That is where people had also buried his ancestors. Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became the next king. \*

Nadab son of Jeroboam started to rule Israel after Asa had been the king of Judah for almost two years. Nadab ruled Israel for two years.

He did many things that God had told the Israelites were evil. He behaved in the sinful way his father had behaved. He continued to lead the Israelites to sin {by worshiping the calf statues at the shrines in Bethel and Dan}. \*

King Nadab and his soldiers were attacking the city of Gibbethon in the region of Philistia. {One of his military commanders,} Baasha son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against him {with some of the other commanders}. Baasha killed Nadab at Gibbethon.

When Baasha killed Nadab, Asa had been the king of Judah for almost three years. Baasha became the next king of Israel. \*

As soon as he became king, Baasha commanded his soldiers to kill all the rest of Jeroboam’s living descendants. He made sure that none of them survived. That is exactly what God had said would happen in the message that he gave to Ahijah the Shilonite, his servant.

God, the God whom the Israelites worship, spoke that message because he had become very angry with Jeroboam. Jeroboam made him angry by committing many sins and leading the people of Israel to commit sins. \*

The book in which the kings of Israel recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Nadab did.

The armies of Asa and Baasha were continually at war with one another. \*

Baasha son of Ahijah, started to rule Israel from the city of Tirzah after Asa had been the king of Judah for almost three years. He ruled for 24 years.

Baasha did many things that God had told the Israelites were evil. He behaved the way King Jeroboam had behaved. He continued to lead the Israelites to sin {by worshiping the calf statues at the shrines in Bethel and Dan}. \*