Abijah's War with Jeroboam
(1 Kings 15.1-8)1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam of Israel, Abijah became king of Judah, 2 and he ruled three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Micaiah daughter of Uriel, from the city of Gibeah.
War broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah raised an army of 400,000 soldiers, and Jeroboam opposed him with an army of 800,000.
4 The armies met in the hill country of Ephraim. King Abijah went up Mount Zemaraim and called out to Jeroboam and the Israelites: “Listen to me!” he said. 5 “Don't you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, made an unbreakable covenant with David, giving him and his descendants kingship over Israel forever? 6 Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against Solomon, his king. 7 Later he gathered together a group of worthless scoundrels, and they forced their will on Rehoboam son of Solomon, who was too young and inexperienced to resist them. 8 Now you propose to fight against the royal authority that the Lord gave to David's descendants. You have a huge army and have with you the gold bull-calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9 You drove out the Lord's priests, the descendants of Aaron, and you drove out the Levites. In their place you appointed priests in the same way that other nations do. Anybody who comes along with a bull or seven sheep can get himself consecrated as a priest of those so-called gods of yours.
10 “But we still serve the Lord our God and have not abandoned him. Priests descended from Aaron perform their duties, and Levites assist them. 11 Every morning and every evening they offer him incense and animal sacrifices burned whole. They present the offerings of bread on a table that is ritually clean, and every evening they light the lamps on the gold lampstand. We do what the Lord has commanded, but you have abandoned him. 12 God himself is our leader and his priests are here with trumpets, ready to blow them and call us to battle against you. People of Israel, don't fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors! You can't win!”
13 Meanwhile Jeroboam had sent some of his troops to ambush the Judean army from the rear, while the rest faced them from the front. 14 The Judeans looked around and saw that they were surrounded. They cried to the Lord for help, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 The Judeans gave a loud shout, and led by Abijah, they attacked; God defeated Jeroboam and the Israelite army. 16 The Israelites fled from the Judeans, and God let the Judeans overpower them. 17 Abijah and his army dealt the Israelites a crushing defeat—half a million of Israel's best soldiers were killed. 18 And so the people of Judah were victorious over Israel, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam's army and occupied some of his cities: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, and the villages near each of these cities. 20 Jeroboam never regained his power during Abijah's reign. Finally the Lord struck him down, and he died.
21 Abijah, however, grew more powerful. He had fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the history of Abijah, what he said and what he did, is written in The History 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.
