1 Kings 15

1 And in the eighteenth yeere of King Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, reigned Abiiam ouer Iudah.

After Jeroboam had been the king of Israel for almost 18 years, Abijah became the king of Judah.

2 Three yeere reigned hee in Ierusalem, and his mothers name was Maachah the daughter of Abishalom.

He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, the granddaughter of [David’s son] Absalom.

3 And hee walked in all the sinnes of his father, which hee had done before him: and his heart was not perfit with the Lord his God as the heart of Dauid his father.

Abijah committed the same kind of sins that his father had committed. He was not fully dedicated/committed to Yahweh his God, as his grandfather David had been.

4 But for Dauids sake did the Lord his God giue him a light in Ierusalem, and set vp his sonne after him, and established Ierusalem,

But, because of [what Yahweh his God had promised to] David, Yahweh gave Abijah a son [MET] to rule in Jerusalem after him, and in order to protect Jerusalem [from their enemies].

5 Because Dauid did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and turned from nothing that he commanded him, all the dayes of his life, saue onely in the matter of Vriah the Hittite.

Yahweh did that because David had always done what pleased Yahweh and because David had always obeyed Yahweh. The only time when he disobeyed Yahweh was when he caused Uriah [to be killed].

6 And there was warre betweene Rehoboam and Ieroboam as long as he liued.

There were wars between [the armies of] Rehoboam and Jeroboam all during the time that Abijah ruled.

7 The rest also of the actes of Abiiam, and all that he did, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Iudah? there was also warre betweene Abiiam, and Ieroboam.

Everything else that Abijah did is written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.

8 And Abiiam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the citie of Dauid: and Asa his sonne reigned in his steade.

Abijah died [EUP] and was buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’, and his son Asa became king.

9 And in the twentie yeere of Ieroboam King of Israel reigned Asa ouer Iudah.

After Jeroboam had been the king of Israel for almost 20 years, Asa started to rule Judah.

10 He reigned in Ierusalem one and fourtie yeere, and his mothers name was Maachah the daughter of Abishalom.

He ruled in Jerusalem for 41 years. His grandmother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom.

11 And Asa did right in the eyes of the Lord, as did Dauid his father.

Asa did what was pleasing to Yahweh, as his ancestor David had done.

12 And he tooke away the Sodomites out of the lande, and put away all the idoles that his fathers had made.

He got rid of the male prostitutes that were at the places where the people worshiped idols, and he also got rid of all the idols that his ancestors had made.

13 And he put downe Maachah his mother also from her estate, because shee had made an idole in a groue: and Asa destroyed her idoles, and burnt them by the brooke Kidron.

He also removed his grandmother Maacah so that she no longer had influence in the government [because of] being the mother of a previous king. He did that because she had made a disgusting [wooden] statue of the goddess Asherah. Asa [told his workers to] cut down the statue and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

14 But they put not downe the hie places. Neuertheles Asas heart was vpright with the Lord all his dayes.

He was not able to destroy all the places where the people worshiped [idols] on the high hills, but he continued to be dedicated/committed to Yahweh his entIre life.

15 Also he brought in the holy vessels of his father, and the things that he had dedicated vnto ye house of the Lord, siluer, and golde, and vessels.

He [told his workers to] place in the temple all the items that his father had dedicated to God, and all the gold and silver things that he had dedicated to God.

16 And there was warre betweene Asa and Baasha King of Israel all their dayes.

There were wars between [the armies of] Asa and Baasha, the king of Israel, all during the time that they ruled.

17 Then Baasha king of Israel went vp against Iudah, and buylt Ramah, so that he woulde let none go out or in to Asa King of Iudah.

Baasha’s army invaded Judah. They captured Ramah [town north of Jerusalem]. Then they started to build a wall around it in order to prevent people from entering or leaving the area in Judah that was ruled by King Asa.

18 Then Asa tooke all the siluer and the gold that was left in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the kings house, and deliuered them into the handes of his seruantes, and King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the sonne of Tabrimon, the sonne of Hezion king of Aram that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

So Asa [told] his workers [to] take all the silver and gold that was still in the storerooms in the temple and in the palace. He told them to take it to Damascus and give it to King Ben-Hadad who ruled Syria. Ben-Hadad was the son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion. He told the workers to say this to Ben-Hadad:

19 There is a couenant betweene me and thee, and betweene my father and thy father: behold, I haue sent vnto thee a present of siluer and golde: come, breake thy couenant with Baasha King of Israel, that he may depart from me.

“I want there to be a peace treaty between you and me, like there was between your father and my father. For that reason, I am giving you this silver and gold. So now please cancel the treaty that you made with Baasha, the king of Israel, in order that he will take his soldiers away from attacking mine, [because he will be afraid of your army].”

20 So Ben-hadad hearkened vnto King Asa, and sent the captaines of the hosts, which he had, against the cities of Israel, and smote lion, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.

[So the workers went and gave the message to] Ben-Hadad, [and he] did what Asa suggested. He sent his army commanders [and their soldiers] to attack some of the towns in Israel. They captured Ijon, Dan, Abel-Beth-Maacah, the area near Galilee Lake, and all the land of [the tribe of] Naphtali.

21 And when Baasha heard thereof, hee left buylding of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.

When Baasha heard about that, he [told his soldiers to] stop working at Ramah. He [and his soldiers returned to] Tirzah [and] stayed there.

22 Then king Asa assembled al Iudah, none excepted. and they tooke the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had buylt, and King Asa built with them Geba of Beniamin and Mizpah.

Then King Asa sent a message to all the [people in the] towns in Judah, stating that they all were required to go to Ramah and carry away the stones and timber that Baasha’s soldiers had been using to build a wall around the city. With those stones and timber they fortified Mizpah [city north of Jerusalem], and Geba, [a town] in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.

23 And the rest of all the actes of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he buylt, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Iudah? but in his olde age he was diseased in his feete.

Everything else that Asa did, the armies that his soldiers defeated, and the names of the cities that he caused to be fortified, are [RHQ] written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’. But when Asa became old, he got a disease in his feet.

24 And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the citie of Dauid his father. And Iehoshaphat his sonne reigned in his steade.

He died [EUP] and was buried where his ancestors were buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. Then his son Jehoshaphat became king.

25 And Nadab the sonne of Ieroboam began to reigne ouer Israel the second yere of Asa King of Iudah, and reigned ouer Israel two yeere.

After Asa had been the king of Judah for almost two years, King Jeroboam’s son Nadab started to rule Israel. He ruled for two years.

26 And he did euill in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of his father, and in his sinne wherewith he made Israel to sinne.

He did things that Yahweh considered to be evil. His behavior was sinful like his father’s behavior had been, and what he did led the people of Israel to sin.

27 And Baasha the sonne of Ahijah of ye house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha slue him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistims: for Nadab and all Israel layde siege to Gibbethon.

[A man named] Baasha, from the tribe of Issachar, planned to harm him. He killed Nadab when Nadab and his army had surrounded Gibbethon [city] in the Philistia area.

28 Euen in the third yeere of Asa King of Iudah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his steade.

That [DOU] was when Asa had been [the king ruling] Judah for almost three years. Then Baasha became the king of Israel.

29 And when he was King, he smote all the house of Ieroboam, he left none aliue to Ieroboam, vntill hee had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord which he spake by his seruant Ahijah the Shilonite,

As soon as Baasha became king, [he commanded his soldiers to] kill all of Jeroboam’s family. Doing what Yahweh had told the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh would happen, they killed all of Jeroboam’s family. None of them (was left/remained alive).

30 Because of the sinnes of Ieroboam which he committed, and wherewith he made Israel to sinne, by his prouocation, wherewith he prouoked the Lord God of Israel.

That happened because Yahweh had become very angry with Jeroboam because of all the sins that Jeroboam had committed, and because of the sins that he had persuaded the people of Israel to commit.

31 And the residue of the actes of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Everything else that Nadab did is written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

32 And there was warre betweene Asa and Baasha King of Israel, all their dayes.

There were wars between [the armies of] King Asa and King Baasha all the time that they ruled.

33 In the thirde yeere of Asa King of Iudah, began Baasha the sonne of Ahijah to reigne ouer all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned foure and twentie yeeres.

After Asa had been the king of Judah for almost three years, Baasha, the son of Ahijah, started to rule Israel at Tirzah [city]. He ruled for 24 years.

34 And he did euill in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of Ieroboam, and in his sinne, wherewith he made Israel to sinne.

He did things that Yahweh considered to be evil, and his behavior was sinful like his father’s had been, and he led the people of Israel to sin.