1 Kings 15

¹ In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah.

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

³ He walked in all the sins his father had committed before him, and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of David his ancestor had been.

⁴ Nevertheless, for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, raising up his son after him and establishing Jerusalem—

⁵ because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

⁶ There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

⁷ As for the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did—are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

⁸ Abijam rested with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David. His son Asa reigned in his place.

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah.

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

¹¹ Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his ancestor had done.

¹² He removed the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his ancestors had made.

¹³ He also removed his grandmother Maacah from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her abominable image and burned it in the Wadi Kidron.

¹⁴ The high places were not removed. Nevertheless, Asa's heart was wholly devoted to the LORD all his days.

¹⁵ He brought into the house of the LORD the things his father had dedicated and the things he himself had dedicated: silver, gold, and vessels.

¹⁶ There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

¹⁷ Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built up Ramah to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.

¹⁸ Then Asa took all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the treasuries of the king's palace, and put them in the hands of his servants. King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying,

¹⁹ "There is a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me."

²⁰ Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all Chinneroth, and all the land of Naphtali.

²¹ When Baasha heard, he stopped building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah.

²² Then King Asa summoned all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah that Baasha had been building. King Asa used them to build up Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.

²³ As for the rest of all the acts of Asa—all his might, all that he did, and the cities he built—are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he became diseased in his feet.

²⁴ Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David his ancestor. His son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.

²⁵ Nadab son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years.

²⁶ He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sin that he caused Israel to commit.

²⁷ Baasha son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon.

²⁸ Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place.

²⁹ As soon as he became king, he struck down the entire house of Jeroboam. He did not leave anyone breathing to Jeroboam; he destroyed them according to the word of the LORD that he spoke through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite—

³⁰ because of the sins Jeroboam committed and caused Israel to commit, and because of the provocation with which he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.

³¹ As for the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did—are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

³² There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

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

³⁴ He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin that he caused Israel to commit.