15Abijah reigned over Judah starting in the eighteenth year of Nebat's son Jeroboam's reign.H8083H6240H8141H4428H3379H1121H5028H4427H38H3063

2He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.H7969H8141H4427H3389H517H8034H4601H1323H53

3He practiced the same sins that his father committed before he was born. Unlike his ancestor David, his heart never became devoted to the Lord his God.H3212H2403H1H6213H6440H3824H8003H3068H430H3824H1732H1

4Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the Lord his God maintained a lamp for David in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him so that Jerusalem would be established,H1732H3068H430H5414H5216H3389H6965H1121H310H5975H3389

5because David had practiced what the Lord considered to be right. He never avoided anything that the Lord had commanded him during his entire lifetime, except for the case of Uriah the Hittite.H1732H6213H3477H5869H3068H5493H6680H3117H2416H1697H223H2850

6There was continual military conflict between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout his entire lifetime.H4421H7346H3379H3117H2416

7The rest of Abijam's accomplishments, including everything he undertook, are written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not?And a state of war continued to exist between Abijam and Jeroboam.H3499H1697H38H6213H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3063H4421H38H3379

8Eventually, Abijam died, as did his ancestors, and he was buried in the city of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king.H38H7901H1H6912H5892H1732H609H1121H4427

9Asa began to reign as Judah's king during the twentieth year of the reign of Jeroboam as king over Israel.H6242H8141H3379H4428H3478H4427H609H3063

10He reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.H705H259H8141H4427H3389H517H8034H4601H1323H53

11Asa practiced what the Lord considered to be right, just like his ancestor David.H609H6213H3477H5869H3068H1732H1

12He also removed the male cult prostitutes from the land and destroyed all the idols that his ancestors had made.H5674H6945H776H5493H1544H1H6213

13He removed his mother Maacah from her position as Queen Mother because she had made a detestable image dedicated to Asherah. Asa cut down his mother's idol, crushed it, and burned it at the Kidron Brook.H4601H517H5493H1377H6213H4656H842H609H3772H4656H8313H5158H6939

14Nevertheless, the high places were not removed, even though Asa's heart was blameless toward the Lord all of his life.H1116H5493H609H3824H8003H3068H3117

15Asa brought into the Lord's temple the things that his father had dedicated, as well as his own dedicated gifts such as silver, gold, and temple service implements.H935H6944H1H6944H6944H1004H3068H3701H2091H3627

16A state of continual military unrest existed between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their lifetimes.H4421H609H1201H4428H3478H3117

17King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and interdicted Ramah by building fortifications around it so no one could enter or leave to join King Asa of Judah.H1201H4428H3478H5927H3063H1129H7414H5414H3318H935H609H4428H3063

18But Asa removed all the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord's temple and from his royal palace, placed them into the care of some servants, and then sent them to Tabrimon's son King Ben-hadad of Aram, the grandson of Hezion, who lived in Damascus.H609H3947H3701H2091H3498H214H1004H3068H214H4428H1004H5414H3027H5650H4428H609H7971H1130H1121H2886H1121H2383H4428H758H3427H1834H559

19"Let's make a treaty between you and me," he said, "just like the one between my father and your father. Notice that I've sent you silver and gold to break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he'll retreat from his attack on me."H1285H1H1H7971H7810H3701H2091H3212H6565H1285H1201H4428H3478H5927

20So King Ben-hadad did just what King Asa had asked: he sent his commanding officers to attack the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all of the Sea of Galilee, and the territory of Naphtali.H1130H8085H4428H609H7971H8269H2428H5892H3478H5221H5859H1835H62H3672H776H5321

21When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and remained in Tirzah,H1201H8085H2308H1129H7414H3427H8656

22so King Asa published a proclamation throughout Judah (no one was left out) and they carried away the stones and timber with which Baasha had been fortifying Judah. King Asa used them to fortify Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah.H4428H609H8085H3063H5355H5375H68H7414H6086H1201H1129H4428H609H1129H1387H1144H4709

23The rest of Asa's accomplishments, his strength, everything that he undertook, and the cities that he fortified are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not?However, as he approached old age, he became diseased in his feet.H3499H1697H609H1369H6213H5892H1129H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3063H6256H2209H2470H7272

24Then Asa died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried with his ancestors in the city of David, his ancestor. His son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.23H609H7901H1H6912H1H5892H1732H1H3092H1121H4427

25Jeroboam's son Nadab became king over Israel during the second year of the reign of King Asa over Judah. He reigned over Israel for two years,H5070H1121H3379H4427H3478H8147H8141H609H4428H3063H4427H3478H8147H8141

26practicing what the Lord considered to be evil, living the way his father did, committing sins, and leading Israel to sin.H6213H7451H5869H3068H3212H1870H1H2403H3478H2398

27So Ahijah's son Baasha from the household of Issachar conspired against him and killed Nadab at Gibbethon in Philistia while Nadab and all of Israel were attacking Gibbethon.H1201H1121H281H1004H3485H7194H1201H5221H1405H6430H5070H3478H6696H1405

28Baasha killed him during the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah and took Nadab's place as king.1525H7969H8141H609H4428H3063H1201H4191H4427

29As soon as he was established as king, he killed everyone in the household of Jeroboam. He left not even one single person alive. He destroyed them completely, just as the Lord had spoken through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite,H4427H5221H1004H3379H7604H3379H5397H8045H1697H3068H1696H3027H5650H281H7888

30because of the sins that Jeroboam had committed, and because he led Israel into sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to become angry.H2403H3379H2398H3478H2398H3708H3068H430H3478H3707

31Now the rest of Nadab's accomplishments, including everything he undertook, are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, are they not?H3499H1697H5070H6213H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3478

32Meanwhile, a state of war continued to exist between Asa and Baasha king of Israel, throughout their reigns.H4421H609H1201H4428H3478H3117

33During the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Ahijah's son Baasha became king over all of Israel. He reigned for 24 years at Tirzah.H7969H8141H609H4428H3063H1201H1121H281H4427H3478H8656H6242H702H8141

34He practiced what the Lord considered to be evil, living like Jeroboam did and leading Israel into sin.H6213H7451H5869H3068H3212H1870H3379H2403H3478H2398