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First Book of Kings 15
The reign of Abijam in Judah (913-911)
1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king of Judah
2 and reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, daughter of Absalom.
3 He followed the sinful example of his father before him in everything; his heart was not wholly with Yahweh his God, as the heart of David his ancestor had been.
4 However, for David’s sake, Yahweh his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, assuring him sons after him and keeping Jerusalem secure;
5 for David had done what is right in the eyes of Yahweh and had never in all his life disobeyed whatever he ordered him.
(6)7 The rest of the history of Abijam, his entire career, is not all this recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? Abijam and Jeroboam were at war with each other.
8 Then Abijam slept with his ancestors and they buried him in the Citadel of David; his son Asa succeeded him.
The reign of Asa in Judah (911-870)
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah
10 and reigned for forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, daughter of Absalom.
11 Asa did what is right in the eyes of Yahweh, as his ancestor David had done.
12 He drove out of the country the men who had been sacred prostitutes and cleared away all the idols his ancestors had made.
13 He even deprived his grandmother of the dignity of queen mother for making an obscenity for Asherah; Asa cut down her obscenity and burned it in the wadi
14 Though the high places were not abolished, the heart of Asa was wholly with Yahweh throughout his life.
15 He deposited the offerings dedicated by his father and his own offerings too, in the Temple of Yahweh, silver and gold and furnishings.
16 Asa and Baasha king of Israel were at war with each other as long as they lived.
17 Baasha king of Israel marched on Judah and fortified Ramah to blockade Asa king of Judah.
18 Asa then took the remaining silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of Yahweh and the royal palace. Entrusting this to his servants, he sent them with the following message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion, the king of Aram who lived in Damascus,
19 An alliance between myself and you, as between my father and your father! With this I send you a gift of silver and gold. Come, break off your alliance with Baasha king of Israel, and he will have to retire from my territory.’
20 Ben-hadad agreed, and sent his generals against the towns of Israel; he conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all Chinneroth, and the whole land of Naphtali too.
21 When Baasha heard this he gave up fortifying Ramah and returned to Tirzah.
22 King Asa then summoned the whole of Judah, no one was exempt; they took away the stones and timber with which Baasha had been fortifying Ramah, and with them the king fortified Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.
23 The rest of the history of Asa, all his valour, his entire career, is not all this recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? In his old age, however, he suffered from a disease of the feet.
24 Then Asa slept with his ancestors and was buried in the Citadel of David his ancestor; his son Jehoshaphat succeeded him.
The reign of Nadab in Israel (910-909)
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years.
26 He did what is displeasing to Yahweh; he copied his father’s example and the sin into which he had led Israel.
27 Baasha son of Ahijah, of the House of Issachar, plotted against him and murdered him at Gibbethon, a Philistine town which Nadab and all Israel were besieging.
28 Baasha killed Nadab and succeeded him in the third year of Asa king of Judah.
29 No sooner was he king than he butchered the entire House of Jeroboam, not sparing a soul, and wiped it out, just as Yahweh had foretold through his servant Ahijah of Shiloh,
30 because of the sins into which he had led Israel, and because he had provoked the anger of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
31 The rest of the history of Nadab, his entire career, is not all this recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?[* ](32)a
The reign of Baasha in Israel (909-889)
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of Israel at Tirzah for twenty-four years.
34 He did what is displeasing to Yahweh; he copied the example of Jeroboam and the sin into which he had led Israel.