| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Abijam began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. | 1In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king over Judah. |
| 2He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom. | 2He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. |
| 3He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the LORD his God, as his ancestor David had been. | 3He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his ancestor David had been. |
| 4But for David’s sake, the LORD his God allowed his descendants to continue ruling, shining like a lamp, and he gave Abijam a son to rule after him in Jerusalem. | 4Nevertheless for David's sake the LORD his God maintained his dynasty in Jerusalem by giving him a son to succeed him and by protecting Jerusalem. |
| 5For David had done what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight and had obeyed the LORD’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite. | 5He did this because David had done what he approved and had not disregarded any of his commandments his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite. |
| 6There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam throughout Abijam’s reign. | 6Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other throughout Abijah's lifetime. |
| 7The rest of the events in Abijam’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. There was constant war between Abijam and Jeroboam. | 7The rest of the events of Abijah's reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. Abijah and Jeroboam had been at war with each other. |
| 8When Abijam died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. Asa Rules in Judah | 8Abijah passed away and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa replaced him as king. |
| 9Asa began to rule over Judah in the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. | 9In the twentieth year of Jeroboam's reign over Israel, Asa became the king of Judah. |
| 10He reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother was Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom. | 10He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. |
| 11Asa did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, as his ancestor David had done. | 11Asa did what the LORD approved like his ancestor David had done. |
| 12He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. | 12He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols his ancestors had made. |
| 13He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. | 13He also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. |
| 14Although the pagan shrines were not removed, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful to the LORD throughout his life. | 14The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD throughout his lifetime. |
| 15He brought into the Temple of the LORD the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated. | 15He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the LORD's temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. |
| 16There was constant war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. | 16Now Asa and King Baasha of Israel were continually at war with each other. |
| 17King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa’s territory in Judah. | 17King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah and established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. |
| 18Asa responded by removing all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace. He sent it with some of his officials to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message: | 18Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the LORD's temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then told them to deliver it to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: |
| 19“Let there be a treaty between you and me like the one between your father and my father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone.” | 19"I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. See, I have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land." |
| 20Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa’s request and sent the commanders of his army to attack the towns of Israel. They conquered the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Kinnereth, and all the land of Naphtali. | 20Ben Hadad accepted King Asa's offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth. |
| 21As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. | 21When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying Ramah and settled down in Tirzah. |
| 22Then King Asa sent an order throughout Judah, requiring that everyone, without exception, help to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the town of Geba in Benjamin and the town of Mizpah. | 22King Asa ordered all the men of Judah (no exemptions were granted) to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. King Asa used the materials to build up Geba (in Benjamin) and Mizpah. |
| 23The rest of the events in Asa’s reign—the extent of his power, everything he did, and the names of the cities he built—are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. In his old age his feet became diseased. | 23The rest of the events of Asa's reign, including all his successes and accomplishments, as well as a record of the cities he built, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. Yet when he was very old he developed a foot disease. |
| 24When Asa died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the next king. Nadab Rules in Israel | 24Asa passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king. |
| 25Nadab son of Jeroboam began to rule over Israel in the second year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Israel two years. | 25In the second year of Asa's reign over Judah, Jeroboam's son Nadab became the king of Israel; he ruled Israel for two years. |
| 26But he did what was evil in the LORD’s sight and followed the example of his father, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit. | 26He did evil in the sight of the LORD. He followed in his father's footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. |
| 27Then Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against Nadab and assassinated him while he and the Israelite army were laying siege to the Philistine town of Gibbethon. | 27Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, conspired against Nadab and assassinated him in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. This happened while Nadab and all the Israelite army were besieging Gibbethon. |
| 28Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, and he became the next king of Israel. | 28Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa's reign over Judah and replaced him as king. |
| 29He immediately slaughtered all the descendants of King Jeroboam, so that not one of the royal family was left, just as the LORD had promised concerning Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. | 29When he became king, he executed Jeroboam's entire family. He wiped out everyone who breathed, just as the LORD had predicted through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. |
| 30This was done because Jeroboam had provoked the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, by the sins he had committed and the sins he had led Israel to commit. | 30This happened because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit. These sins angered the LORD God of Israel. |
| 31The rest of the events in Nadab’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. Baasha Rules in Israel | 31The rest of the events of Nadab's reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. |
| 32There was constant war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel. | 32Asa and King Nadab of Israel were continually at war with each other. |
| 33Baasha son of Ahijah began to rule over all Israel in the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. Baasha reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years. | 33In the third year of Asa's reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah; he ruled for twenty-four years. |
| 34But he did what was evil in the LORD’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam, continuing the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit. | 34He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he followed in Jeroboam's footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. |
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