King Abijah of Judah
(1 Kings 15.1-8)1 Abijah 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 Micaiah the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.
Some time later, Abijah and King Jeroboam of Israel went to war against each other. 3 Abijah's army had 400,000 troops, and Jeroboam met him in battle with 800,000 troops.
4 Abijah went to the top of Mount Zemaraim in the hills of Ephraim and shouted:
Listen, Jeroboam and all you Israelites! 5 The Lord God of Israel has made a solemn promise that every king of Israel will be from David's family. 6 But Jeroboam, you were King Solomon's official, and you rebelled. 7 Then right after Rehoboam became king, you and your bunch of worthless followers challenged Rehoboam, who was too young to know how to stop you.
8 Now you and your powerful army think you can stand up to the kingdom that the Lord has given to David's descendants. The only gods you have are those gold statues of calves that Jeroboam made for you. 9 You don't even have descendants of Aaron on your side, because you forced out the Lord's priests and Levites. In their place, you appoint ordinary people to be priests, just as the foreign nations do. In fact, anyone who brings a bull and seven rams to the altar can become a priest of your so-called gods.
10 But we have not turned our backs on the Lord God! Aaron's own descendants serve as our priests, and the Levites are their assistants. 11 Two times every day they offer sacrifices and burn incense to the Lord. They set out the sacred loaves of bread on a table that has been purified, and they light the lamps in the gold lampstand every day at sunset. We follow the commands of the Lord our God—you have rejected him! 12 That's why God is on our side and will lead us into battle when the priests sound the signal on the trumpets. It's no use, Israelites. You might as well give up. There's no way you can defeat the Lord, the God your ancestors worshiped.
13 But while Abijah was talking, Jeroboam had sent some of his troops to attack Judah's army from behind, while the rest attacked from the front. 14 Judah's army realized they were trapped, and so they prayed to the Lord. The priests blew the signal on the trumpet, 15 and the troops let out a battle cry. Then with Abijah leading them into battle, God defeated Jeroboam and Israel's army. 16 The Israelites ran away, and God helped Judah's soldiers slaughter 17 500,000 enemy troops. 18 Judah's army won because they had trusted the Lord God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah kept up his attack on Jeroboam's army and captured the Israelite towns of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, as well as the villages around them.
20 Jeroboam never regained his power during the rest of Abijah's rule. The Lord punished Jeroboam, and he died, but Abijah became more powerful.
21 Abijah had a total of 14 wives, 22 sons, and 16 daughters. 22 Everything Abijah said and did while he was king is written in the records of Iddo the prophet.
Ovita vya Abija kuna Jerobeam
(1Ozo 15:1-8)1 Mombura oitjamurongo na hambondatu youhona wa Jerobeam, ombara ya Israel, Abija otja rira ombara ya Juda. 2 Neye wa honapara oure wozombura ndatu mOjerusalem. Ina wa ri Mikaja, omusuko wa Uriel, ngwa zire kotjihuro Gibea.
Nu pa kara ovita pokati ka Abija na Jerobeam. 3 Abija wa uta ovita notjimbumba tjovarwe ozombangaṋe 400,000, nu Jerobeam we mu rwisa notjimbumba tjovarwe ozombangaṋe 800,000.
4 Ovimbumba mbi vyovita vya hakaenena mehi rozondundu ra Efraim. Ombara Abija wa karonda kondundu ya Semarajim na karavaera ku Jerobeam na kOvaisrael a tja: “Purateneye ku ami! 5 Kamu nokutjiwa kutja Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, wa tjita omerikutiropamwe na David omahateyewa na yandja ouhona ku ye na kozondekurona ze kutja ze honaparere Israel nga aruhe are? 6 Jerobeam, omuzandu wa Nebat, wa pirukira ombara ye Salomo. 7 Kombunda eye wa woronganisa otjira tjovandu oviporoporo, nowo va ṋiṋikiza Rehabeam, omuzandu wa Salomo, ngwa ri omutanda tjinene, nu ngwa ri nomutima omupupu, okutjita ombango yawo, nga tjaa ha yenene okupanḓa ku wo. 8 Nambano eṋe mwe rimana okurwisa ouhona Muhona mbwa yandja kozondekurona za David, eṋe tjinga amu ri otjimbumba otjinene tjovita, nu tjinga amu nozondwezu zozongombe zongoldo Jerobeam nḓa ungura okurira oomukuru veṋu vovisenginina. 9 Eṋe mwa ramba ovapristeri va Muhona, ozondekurona za Aron, nu mwa ramba Ovalevi wina. Moruveze rwawo mwa zika ovapristeri varwe otja oviwaṋa vyarwe pu vi tjita. Auhe ngu meya nondwezu yongombe poo nozondwezu hambombari zozonḓu ma pu pokuyakurwa otja omupristeri woomukuru veṋu vovisenginina.
10 “Nungwari eṱe ingee tu karera Muhona, Ndjambi wetu, nu katuye mu esa. Ovapristeri, imba ozondekurona za Aron, ve ungura oviungura vyawo, nOvalevi ve ve vatera. 11 Omuhuka nongurova aihe owo ve mu twimisira ovyomoro omuwa, nu ve mu punguhira ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa. Owo ve eta ozomboroto zomaraisiro kotjiriro otjikohoke, nongurova aihe ve yakisa omamunine wotjikurameno tjongoldo. Eṱe tu tjita imbi Muhona mbya rakiza, nungwari eṋe mwe mu esa. 12 Ndjambi omuini eye omuhongore wetu, novapristeri ve owo mba nozohiva; va rongere okuzetona nokutuisana kotjirwa tjetu kuna eṋe. Vaisrael, amu rwisa Muhona, Ndjambi wooiho mukururume! Kamaamu toṋa!”
13 Jerobeam tjandje wa hinda ovandu tjiva votjimbumba tje tjovita okukarwisira ihi tjOvajuda okuza kongotwe, ngunda ihi otjikwao ama tji ve rwisire okuza komurungu. 14 Ovajuda va yevayeva nave munu kutja va koverwa. Owo va kwa ombatero ku Muhona, novapristeri va tona ozohiva. 15 Ovajuda va ravaera nomasa, nowo va rwa amave hongorerwa i Abija. Ndjambi wa havera Jerobeam notjimbumba tjOvaisrael tjovita. 16 Ovaisrael va taura kOvajuda, nu Ndjambi wa tjita kutja Ovajuda ve ve havere. 17 Abija notjimbumba tje tjovita va havera Ovaisrael tjinene; pa ṱa ovarwe vOvaisrael wovita ozombangaṋe mangara 500,000. 18 Ovajuda va havera Ovaisrael mena rokutja va kara nouṱakame mu Muhona, Ndjambi wooihe mukururume.
19 Abija wa tezera otjimbumba tja Jerobeam tjovita na huura ovihuro vye tjiva mbi: Betel na Jesana na Efron, novirongo mbya kondoroka ovihuro mbi, atjihe peke. 20 Jerobeam ke na pa kazikamisa ouhona we rukwao, Abija ngunda a ri ombara. Korusenina Muhona we mu zepa tjimanga.
21 Nungwari Abija wa ririra ko omunamasa mouhona. Eye wa ri novakazendu omurongo na vane, nu wa kwata ovanatje ovazandu omirongo vivari na vevari, novakazona omurongo na hamboumwe. 22 Ekuruhungi ekwao ra Abija, oviṋa mbya hungira na mbya tjita, vya tjangwa mEkuruhungi romuprofete Ido.
