1 Kings 15

1 Abijam became king of Judah in the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, son of Nebat.

Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah.

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

For three years he was king in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.

3 Abijam committed all the sins his father had before him. He was not wholly dedicated to the Lord his God as his forefather David had been.

And he did the same sins which his father had done before him: his heart was not completely true to the Lord his God, like the heart of David his father.

4 Even so, for David's sake, the Lord his God let his descendants to continue to rule like a lamp, a son to rule after him and to make Jerusalem strong.

But because of David, the Lord gave him a light in Jerusalem, making his sons king after him, so that Jerusalem might be safe;

5 For David had done what was right in the Lord's sight, and had not deviated from anything the Lord commanded throughout his lifetime, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

Because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and never in all his life went against his orders, but only in the question of Uriah the Hittite.

6 (Rehoboam and Jeroboam were always at war with each other.)

7 The rest of what happened in Abijam's reign and everything that he did are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. Abijam and Jeroboam were always at war with each other.

Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all he did, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

8 Abijam died and was buried the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king.

Then Abijam went to rest with his fathers, and they put him into the earth in the town of David: and Asa his son became king in his place.

9 Asa became king of Judah in the twentieth year of the reign of Jeroboam, king of Israel.

In the twentieth year that Jeroboam was king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah.

10 He reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother's name was Maakah, daughter of Abishalom.

And he was king for forty-one years in Jerusalem; his mother's name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.

11 Asa did what was right in the Lord's sight, as his forefather David had done.

Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father did.

12 He expelled the cult prostitutes from the land and got rid of all of the idols that his forefathers had made.

Those used for sex purposes in the worship of the gods he sent out of the country, and he took away all the images which his fathers had made.

13 He even dismissed his grandmother Maacah as queen mother, because she had made a disgusting idol. Asa had the idol chopped down and burned in the Kidron Valley.

And he would not let Maacah his mother be queen, because she had made a disgusting image for Asherah; and Asa had the image cut down and burned by the stream Kidron.

14 Though the high places were not removed, Asa was completely committed to the Lord all his life.

The high places, however, were not taken away: but still the heart of Asa was true to the Lord all his life.

15 He brought into the house of the Lord the silver and gold and the other items that he and his father had dedicated.

He took into the house of the Lord all the things which his father had made holy, and those which he himself had made holy, silver and gold and vessels.

16 Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, were always at war with each other.

Now there was war between Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, all their days.

17 Baasha, king of Israel, attacked Judah and fortified Ramah to stop people coming from or going to Asa, king of Judah.

And Baasha, king of Israel, went up against Judah, building Ramah, so that no one was able to go out or in to Asa, king of Judah.

18 So Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord's Temple and of the royal palace. He handed it over to his servants and sent them to Ben-hadad, son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, along with this message:

Then Asa took all the silver and gold which was still stored in the Lord's house, and in the king's house, and sent them, in the care of his servants, to Ben-hadad, son of Tabrimmon, son of Rezon, king of Aram, at Damascus, saying,

19 “Let us make a treaty between us, just as there was between my father and your father. Look, I've sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go and break your treaty with Baasha, king of Israel, so that he will retreat and leave me alone.”

Let there be an agreement between me and you as there was between my father and your father: see, I have sent you an offering of silver and gold; go and put an end to your agreement with Baasha, king of Israel, so that he may give up attacking me.

20 Ben-hadad accepted Asa's proposal and sent his army with its commanders to attack the towns of Israel. They captured the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Kinnereth, including all the land of Naphtali.

So Ben-hadad did as King Asa said, and sent the captains of his armies against the towns of Israel, attacking Ijon and Dan and Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth as far as all the land of Naphtali.

21 When Baasha heard about this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and retreated to Tirzah.

And Baasha, hearing of it, put a stop to the building of Ramah, and was living in Tirzah.

22 Then King Asa issued a proclamation throughout all Judah, with no exception. The people obeyed, and carried away the stones and the timbers Baasha had used for building up Ramah. King Asa used these building materials to strengthen Geba of Benjamin, as well as Mizpah.

Then King Asa got all Judah together, making every man come; and they took away the stones and the wood with which Baasha was building Ramah, and King Asa made use of them for building Geba in the land of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

23 The rest of what happened in Asa's reign, all his achievements, everything that he did, and the towns he built, are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. But when he grew old he had disease in his feet.

Now the rest of the acts of Asa, and his power, and all he did, and the towns of which he was the builder, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Judah? But when he was old he had a disease of the feet.

24 Asa died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king.

So Asa went to rest with his fathers and was put into the earth in the town of David his father: and Jehoshaphat his son became king in his place.

25 Nadab, son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of the reign of King Asa of Judah. He reigned in Israel for two years.

Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, became king over Israel in the second year that Asa was king of Judah; and he was king of Israel for two years.

26 He did what was evil in the Lord's sight. He followed the ways of his father and committed the same sins his father had made Israel commit.

He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, copying the evil ways of his father, and the sin which he did and made Israel do.

27 Baasha, son of Ahijah of the tribe of Issachar, plotted a rebellion against him. Baasha murdered Nadab at the Philistine town of Gibbethon while Nadab and the whole Israelite army were besieging it.

And Baasha, the son of Ahijah, of the family of Issachar, made a secret design against him, attacking him at Gibbethon, a town of the Philistines; for Nadab and the armies of Israel were making war on Gibbethon.

28 Baasha killed Nadab and took over as king in the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah.

In the third year of the rule of Asa, king of Judah, Baasha put him to death, and became king in his place.

29 As soon as he became king he killed all the rest of Jeroboam's family. He did not leave any of Jeroboam's descendants alive—he destroyed them all, as the Lord had said through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.

And straight away when he became king, he sent destruction on all the offspring of Jeroboam; there was not one living person of all the family of Jeroboam whom he did not put to death, so the word of the Lord, which he said by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite, came about;

30 This happened because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had made Israel commit, and because he had made the Lord, the God of Israel, angry.

Because of the sins which Jeroboam did and made Israel do, moving the Lord, the God of Israel, to wrath.

31 The rest of what happened in Nadab's reign and everything that he did are recorded in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all he did, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Israel?

32 Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, were always at war with each other.

And there was war between Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, all their days.

33 Baasha, son of Ahijah, became king over all of Israel in the third year of the reign of King Asa in Judah. Baasha reigned in Tirzah for twenty-four years.

In the third year of the rule of Asa, king of Judah, Baasha, the son of Ahijah, became king over all Israel in Tirzah, and was king for twenty-four years.

34 Baasha did what was evil in the Lord's sight and followed the way of Jeroboam and his sin, which he had made Israel commit.

He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, copying the evil ways of Jeroboam and the sin which he made Israel do.