Old/New Testament
Abijah’s Reign
13 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother[a] was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.[b]
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah launched the attack with 400,000 well-trained warriors,[c] while Jeroboam deployed against him 800,000 well-trained warriors.[d]
4 Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Don’t you realize that the Lord God of Israel has given David and his dynasty lasting dominion over Israel by a formal covenant?[e] 6 Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 7 Lawless good-for-nothing men[f] gathered around him and conspired[g] against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was an inexperienced young man[h] and could not resist them. 8 Now you are declaring that you will resist the Lord’s rule through the Davidic dynasty.[i] You have a huge army,[j] and bring with you the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 But you banished[k] the Lord’s priests, Aaron’s descendants, and the Levites, and appointed your own priests just as the surrounding nations do! Anyone who comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of these fake gods![l] 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not rejected him. Aaron’s descendants serve as the Lord’s priests, and the Levites assist them with the work.[m] 11 They offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord every morning and every evening, along with fragrant incense. They arrange the Bread of the Presence on a ritually clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. Certainly[n] we are observing the Lord our God’s regulations, but you have rejected him. 12 Now look, God is with us as our leader. His priests are ready to blow the trumpets to signal the attack against you.[o] You Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors,[p] for you will not win!”
13 Now Jeroboam had sent some men to ambush the Judahite army from behind.[q] The main army was in front of the Judahite army;[r] the ambushers were behind it. 14 The men of Judah turned around and realized they were being attacked from the front and the rear.[s] So they cried out to the Lord for help. The priests blew their trumpets, 15 and the men of Judah gave the battle cry. As the men of Judah gave the battle cry, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The Israelites fled from before the Judahite army,[t] and God handed them over to the men of Judah.[u] 17 Abijah and his army thoroughly defeated them;[v] 500,000 well-trained Israelite men fell dead.[w] 18 That day[x] the Israelites were defeated; the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the Lord God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah chased Jeroboam; he seized from him these cities: Bethel and its surrounding towns, Jeshanah and its surrounding towns, and Ephron and its surrounding towns. 20 Jeroboam did not regain power during the reign of Abijah.[y] The Lord struck him down and he died. 21 Abijah’s power grew; he had[z] fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his deeds and sayings,[aa] are recorded in the writings of the prophet Iddo.
14 (13:23)[ab] Abijah passed away[ac] and was buried in the City of David.[ad] His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign[ae] the land had rest for ten years.
Asa’s Religious and Military Accomplishments
2 (14:1) Asa did what the Lord his God desired and approved.[af] 3 He removed the pagan altars[ag] and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.[ah] 4 He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors[ai] and to observe his law and commands.[aj] 5 He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the towns of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule.[ak]
6 He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace. 7 He said to the people of Judah:[al] “Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates.[am] The land remains ours because we have followed[an] the Lord our God; we have followed him, and he has made us secure on all sides.”[ao] So they built the cities[ap] and prospered.
8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors. 9 Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men[aq] and 300 chariots . He arrived at Mareshah, 10 and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
11 Asa prayed[ar] to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered.[as] Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army.[at] O Lord, you are our God; don’t let men prevail against you!”[au] 12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out;[av] they were shattered before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah[aw] carried off a huge amount of plunder. 14 They defeated all the towns surrounding Gerar, for the Lord caused them to panic.[ax] The men of Judah[ay] looted all the towns, for they contained a huge amount of goods.[az] 15 They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock.[ba] They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem.
Jesus’ Anointing
12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he[a] had raised from the dead. 2 So they prepared a dinner for Jesus[b] there. Martha[c] was serving, and Lazarus was among those present at the table[d] with him. 3 Then Mary took three quarters of a pound[e] of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard[f] and anointed the feet of Jesus. She[g] then wiped his feet dry with her hair. (Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.)[h] 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was going to betray him)[i] said, 5 “Why wasn’t this oil sold for 300 silver coins[j] and the money[k] given to the poor?” 6 (Now Judas[l] said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box,[m] he used to steal what was put into it.)[n] 7 So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial.[o] 8 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me!”[p]
9 Now a large crowd of Judeans[q] learned[r] that Jesus[s] was there, and so they came not only because of him[t] but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too,[u] 11 for on account of him many of the Jewish people from Jerusalem[v] were going away and believing in Jesus.
The Triumphal Entry
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees[w] and went out to meet him. They began to shout,[x] “Hosanna![y] Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord![z] Blessed is[aa] the king of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey[ab] and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Do not be afraid, people of Zion;[ac] look, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt!”[ad] 16 (His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened,[ae] but when Jesus was glorified,[af] then they remembered that these things were written about him and that these things had happened[ag] to him.)[ah]
17 So the crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were continuing to testify about it.[ai] 18 Because they had heard that Jesus[aj] had performed this miraculous sign, the crowd went out to meet him. 19 Thus the Pharisees[ak] said to one another, “You see that you can do nothing. Look, the world has run off after him!”
Seekers
20 Now some Greeks[al] were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast. 21 So these approached Philip,[am] who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested,[an] “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew, and they both[ao] went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied,[ap] “The time[aq] has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.[ar] 24 I tell you the solemn truth,[as] unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone.[at] But if it dies, it produces[au] much grain.[av] 25 The one who loves his life[aw] destroys[ax] it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards[ay] it for eternal life. 26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow[az] me, and where I am, my servant will be too.[ba] If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
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