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¹ In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.² He reigned three years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.³ And Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who were mighty men of valor.⁴ And Abijah stood up on mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel:⁵ Don't you know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?⁶ Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the slave of Solomon the son of David, rose up, and rebelled against his lord.⁷ And there were gathered to him worthless men, base fellows, that strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could not withstand them.⁸ And now you think to withstand the kingdom of Yahweh in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods.⁹ Haven't you driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests after the manner of the peoples of [other] lands? so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams, the same may be a priest of [those that are] no gods.¹⁰ But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we haven't forsaken him; and [we have] priests ministering to Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work:¹¹ and they burn to Yahweh every morning and every evening burnt-offerings and sweet incense: the showbread also [they set] in order on the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of Yahweh our God; but you have forsaken him.¹² And, look, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. O sons of Israel, don't fight against Yahweh, the God of your fathers; for you shall not prosper.

¹³ But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them.¹⁴ And when Judah looked back, and saw that the battle was before and behind them; and they cried to Yahweh, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.¹⁵ Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.¹⁶ And the sons of Israel fled before Judah; and God delivered them into their hand.¹⁷ And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.¹⁸ Thus the sons of Israel were brought under at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed, because they relied on Yahweh, the God of their fathers.¹⁹ And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth-el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephron with the towns thereof.²⁰ Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and Yahweh smote him, and he died.²¹ But Abijah waxed mighty, and took to himself fourteen wives, and begot twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.²² And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.