1Kings 15:1 - Prayer Tents

Abijah of Judah

15In the eighteenth year of the rule of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah took over the throne of Judah.H8083H6240H8141H4428H3379H1121H5028H4427H38H3063

2He ruled in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Absalom.H7969H8141H4427H3389H517H8034H4601H1323H53

3He continued to sin just like his father before him. He was not truehearted to GOD as his grandfather David had been.H3212H2403H1H6213H6440H3824H8003H3068H430H3824H1732H1

4But despite that, out of respect for David, his GOD graciously gave him a lamp, a son to follow him and keep Jerusalem secure.H1732H3068H430H5414H5216H3389H6965H1121H310H5975H3389

5For David had lived an exemplary life before GOD all his days, not going off on his own in willful defiance of GOD's clear directions (except for that time with Uriah the Hittite).H1732H6213H3477H5869H3068H5493H6680H3117H2416H1697H223H2850

6But war continued between Abijah and Jeroboam the whole time.H4421H7346H3379H3117H2416

7The rest of Abijah's life, everything he did, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. But the war with Jeroboam was the dominant theme.H3499H1697H38H6213H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3063H4421H38H3379

8Abijah died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Asa was king after him.H38H7901H1H6912H5892H1732H609H1121H4427

Asa of Judah

9In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began his rule over Judah.H6242H8141H3379H4428H3478H4427H609H3063

10He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother's name was Maacah.H705H259H8141H4427H3389H517H8034H4601H1323H53

11Asa conducted himself well before GOD, reviving the ways of his ancestor David.H609H6213H3477H5869H3068H1732H1

12He cleaned house: He got rid of the sacred prostitutes and threw out all the idols his predecessors had made.H5674H6945H776H5493H1544H1H6213

13Asa spared nothing and no one; he went so far as to remove Queen Maacah from her position because she had built a shockingly obscene memorial to the whore goddess Asherah. Asa tore it down and burned it up in the Kidron Valley.H4601H517H5493H1377H6213H4656H842H609H3772H4656H8313H5158H6939

14Unfortunately, he didn't get rid of the local sex-and-religion shrines. But he was well-intentioned—his heart was in the right place, in tune with GOD.H1116H5493H609H3824H8003H3068H3117

15All the gold and silver vessels and artifacts that he and his father had consecrated for holy use he installed in The Temple.H935H6944H1H6944H6944H1004H3068H3701H2091H3627

16But through much of his reign there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel.H4421H609H1201H4428H3478H3117

17Baasha king of Israel started it by building a fort at Ramah and closing the border between Israel and Judah so no one could enter or leave Judah.H1201H4428H3478H5927H3063H1129H7414H5414H3318H935H609H4428H3063

18Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of The Temple of GOD and the royal palace, gave it to his servants, and sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, with this message:H609H3947H3701H2091H3498H214H1004H3068H214H4428H1004H5414H3027H5650H4428H609H7971H1130H1121H2886H1121H2383H4428H758H3427H1834H559

19"Let's make a treaty like the one between our fathers. I'm showing my good faith with this gift of silver and gold. Break your deal with Baasha king of Israel so he'll quit fighting against me."H1285H1H1H7971H7810H3701H2091H3212H6565H1285H1201H4428H3478H5927

20Ben-Hadad went along with King Asa and sent out his troops against the towns of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and the entire region of Kinnereth, including Naphtali.H1130H8085H4428H609H7971H8269H2428H5892H3478H5221H5859H1835H62H3672H776H5321

21When Baasha got the report he quit fortifying Ramah and pulled back to Tirzah.H1201H8085H2308H1129H7414H3427H8656

22Then King Asa issued orders to everyone in Judah—no exemptions—to haul away the logs and stones Baasha had used in the fortification of Ramah and use them to fortify Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah.H4428H609H8085H3063H5355H5375H68H7414H6086H1201H1129H4428H609H1129H1387H1144H4709

23A full account of Asa's life, all the great things he did and the fortifications he constructed, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. In his old age he developed severe gout.H3499H1697H609H1369H6213H5892H1129H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3063H6256H2209H2470H7272

24Then Asa died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Jehoshaphat became king after him.H609H7901H1H6912H1H5892H1732H1H3092H1121H4427

Nadab of Israel

25Nadab son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa's rule in Judah. He was king of Israel two years.H5070H1121H3379H4427H3478H8147H8141H609H4428H3063H4427H3478H8147H8141

26He was openly evil before GOD—he followed in the footsteps of his father who both sinned and made Israel sin.H6213H7451H5869H3068H3212H1870H1H2403H3478H2398

27Baasha son of Ahijah of the tribe of Issachar ganged up on him and attacked him at the Philistine town of Gibbethon while Nadab and the Israelites were doing battle there.H1201H1121H281H1004H3485H7194H1201H5221H1405H6430H5070H3478H6696H1405

28Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and became Israel's next king.H7969H8141H609H4428H3063H1201H4191H4427

29As soon as he was king he killed everyone in Jeroboam's family. There wasn't a living soul left to the name of Jeroboam; Baasha wiped them out totally, just as GOD's servant Ahijah of Shiloh had prophesied—H4427H5221H1004H3379H7604H3379H5397H8045H1697H3068H1696H3027H5650H281H7888

30punishment for Jeroboam's sins and for making Israel sin, for making the GOD of Israel thoroughly angry.H2403H3379H2398H3478H2398H3708H3068H430H3478H3707

31The rest of Nadab's life, everything else he did, is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.H3499H1697H5070H6213H3789H5612H1697H3117H4428H3478

32There was continuous war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel.H4421H609H1201H4428H3478H3117

Baasha of Israel

33In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king in Tirzah over all Israel. He ruled twenty-four years.H7969H8141H609H4428H3063H1201H1121H281H4427H3478H8656H6242H702H8141

34He was openly evil before GOD, walking in the footsteps of Jeroboam, who both sinned and made Israel sin.H6213H7451H5869H3068H3212H1870H3379H2403H3478H2398