Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 12

Shishak's Invasion

¹ When Rehoboam had established his sovereignty and royal power,^(a) he abandoned the law of the Lord —he and all Israel with him. ² Because they were unfaithful to the Lord , in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak^(b) king of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem^{(c) 3} with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 cavalrymen, and countless people who came with him from Egypt—Libyans,^(d) Sukkiim, and Cushites. ⁴ He captured the fortified cities^(e) of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

⁵ Then Shemaiah^(f) the prophet went to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them: "This is what the Lord says: ‘You have abandoned Me; therefore, I have abandoned you into the hand of Shishak.'"^(g)

⁶ So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "Yahweh is righteous."^(h)

⁷ When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the Lord 's message came to Shemaiah: "They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them but will grant them a little deliverance.⁽ⁱ⁾ My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.^{(j) 8} However, they will become his servants so that they may recognize the difference between serving Me and serving the kingdoms of other lands."^(k)

⁹ So King Shishak of Egypt went to war^(l) against Jerusalem.^(m) He seized the treasuries of the Lord 's temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took the gold shields that Solomon had made.^{(n) 10} King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them into the care of the captains of the royal escorts^[a] who guarded the entrance to the king's palace. ¹¹ Whenever the king entered the Lord 's temple, the royal escorts would carry the shields and take them back to the royal escorts' armory. ¹² When Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord 's anger turned away from him, and He did not destroy him completely.^(o) Besides that, conditions were good in Judah.^(p)

Rehoboam's Last Days

¹³ King Rehoboam^(q) established his royal power in Jerusalem. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king and reigned 17 years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name.^(r) Rehoboam's mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite. ¹⁴ Rehoboam did what was evil, because he did not determine in his heart to seek the Lord .^(s)

¹⁵ The events^(t) of Rehoboam's reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Events of Shemaiah^(u) the Prophet and of Iddo the Seer concerning genealogies.^(v) There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their reigns. ¹⁶ Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Abijah^[b](w) became king in his place.

Chapter 13

Judah's King Abijah

¹ In the eighteenth year^(a) of Israel's King Jeroboam, Abijah^[a] became king over Judah ² and reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Micaiah^[b](b) daughter of Uriel; she was from Gibeah.

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³ Abijah set his army of warriors in order with 400,000 choice men. Jeroboam arranged his mighty army of 800,000 choice men in battle formation against him. ⁴ Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim,^(c) which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel, hear me. ⁵ Don't you know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever^(d) by a covenant of salt?^{(e) 6} But Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.^{(f) 7} Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young, inexperienced, and unable to assert himself against them.

⁸ "And now you are saying you can assert yourselves against the Lord 's kingdom, which is in the hand of one of David's sons. You are a vast number and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.^{[c](g) 9} Didn't you banish the priests of Yahweh, the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and make your own priests like the peoples of other lands do?^(h) Whoever comes to ordain himself⁽ⁱ⁾ with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest^(j) of what are not gods.^(k)

¹⁰ "But as for us, Yahweh is our God. We have not abandoned Him; the priests ministering to the Lord are descendants of Aaron, and the Levites serve at their tasks. ¹¹ They offer a burnt offering and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and every evening,^(l) and they set the rows of the bread of the Presence on the ceremonially clean table.^(m) They light the lamps of the gold lampstand every evening. We are carrying out the requirements of Yahweh our God, while you have abandoned Him.^{(n) 12} Look, God and His priests are with us at our head. The trumpets are ready to sound the charge against you. Israelites, don't fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed."^(o)

¹³ Now Jeroboam had sent an ambush^(p) around to advance from behind them. So they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ Judah turned and discovered that the battle was in front of them and behind them, so they cried out to the Lord .^(q) Then the priests blew the trumpets, ¹⁵ and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. When the men of Judah raised the battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.^{(r) 16} So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God handed them over to them.^{(s) 17} Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and 500,000 choice men of Israel were killed. ¹⁸ The Israelites were subdued at that time. The Judahites succeeded because they depended on the Lord , the God of their ancestors.

¹⁹ Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel and its villages, Jeshanah and its villages, and Ephron^[d] and its villages. ²⁰ Jeroboam no longer retained his power^[e] during Abijah's reign; ultimately, the Lord struck him^(t) and he died.^(u)

²¹ However, Abijah grew strong, acquired 14 wives, and fathered 22 sons and 16 daughters. ²² The rest of the events of Abijah's reign, along with his ways and his sayings, are written in the Writing^(v) of the Prophet Iddo.^(w)

Chapter 14

^1 1 [a]Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa became king in his place.^(a) During his reign the land experienced peace for 10 years.

Judah's King Asa

^2 [b]Asa did what was good and right^(b) in the sight of the Lord his God. ³ He removed the pagan altars and the high places. He shattered their sacred pillars and chopped down their Asherah poles.^{(c) 4} He told the people of Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors and to carry out the instruction and the commands. ⁵ He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah,^(d) and the kingdom experienced peace under him.

⁶ Because the land experienced peace, Asa built fortified cities in Judah.^(e) No one made war with him in those days because the Lord gave him rest.^{(f) 7} So he said to the people of Judah, "Let's build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, with doors and bars.^(g) The land is still ours because we sought the Lord our God. We sought Him and He gave us rest on every side." So they built and succeeded.

The Cushite Invasion

⁸ Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah bearing large shields and spears,^(h) and 280,000 from Benjamin bearing regular shields and drawing the bow. All these were brave warriors. ⁹ Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of one million men and 300^[c] chariots. They came as far as Mareshah. ¹⁰ So Asa marched out against him and lined up in battle formation in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.⁽ⁱ⁾

¹¹ Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God:^(j) " Lord , there is no one besides You to help the mighty and those without strength. Help us, Lord our God, for we depend on You,^(k) and in Your name we have come against this large army. Yahweh, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal hinder You."

¹² So the Lord routed the Cushites before Asa and before Judah,^(l) and the Cushites fled. ¹³ Then Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar.^(m) The Cushites fell until they had no survivors, for they were crushed before Yahweh and His army. So the people of Judah carried off a great supply of loot. ¹⁴ Then they attacked all the cities around Gerar because the terror of the Lord was on them.⁽ⁿ⁾ They also plundered all the cities, since there was a great deal of plunder in them. ¹⁵ They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen and captured many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Chapter 15

Revival Under Asa

¹ The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded.^{(a) 2} So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, hear me. The Lord is with you^(b) when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you,^(c) but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you.^{(d) 3} For many years Israel has been without the true God,^(e) without a teaching priest, and without instruction,^{(f) 4} but when they turned to the Lord God of Israel in their distress and sought Him, He was found by them. ⁵ In those times there was no peace for those who went about their daily activities because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. ⁶ Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every possible distress. ⁷ But as for you, be strong; don't be discouraged,^[a] for your work has a reward."^(g)

⁸ When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim.^(h) He renovated the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord 's temple.^{(i) 9} Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, as well as those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for they had defected to him from Israel in great numbers when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him.^(j)

¹⁰ They were gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. ¹¹ At that time they sacrificed to the Lord 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep from all the plunder they had brought.^{(k) 12} Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with all their mind and all their heart.^{(l) 13} Whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be put to death, young or old,^[b] man or woman.^{(m) 14} They took an oath to the Lord in a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with rams' horns. ¹⁵ All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their mind. They had sought Him with all their heart, and He was found by them.⁽ⁿ⁾ So the Lord gave them rest on every side.^(o)

¹⁶ King Asa^(p) also removed Maacah, his grandmother,^[c](q) from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image, then crushed it and burned it in the Kidron Valley.^{(r) 17} The high places were not taken away from Israel; nevertheless, Asa was wholehearted his entire life.^{[d] 18} He brought his father's consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into God's temple: silver, gold, and utensils.

¹⁹ There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.