1 Kings 15

Judah’s King Abijam

1 In the eighteenth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah, 2 and he reigned three years in Jerusalem.  * 15:1–2 2Ch 13:1–2 His mother’s name was Maacah  * 15:2 1Kg 15:10,13; 2Ch 13:2 daughter  * 15:2 Possibly granddaughter, also in v. 10; 2Ch 13:2 of Abishalom.

3 Abijam walked in all the sins his father before him had committed,  * 15:3 1Kg 14:21–22 and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God as his ancestor David had been.  * 15:3 1Kg 9:4; 11:44 But for the sake of David, the Lord his God gave him a lamp  * 15:4 Or dominion in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him and by preserving Jerusalem.  * 15:4 2Sm 21:17; 1Kg 11:36; 2Ch 21:75 For David did what was right in the Lord’s sight, and he did not turn aside from anything he had commanded him all the days of his life,  * 15:5 1Kg 9:4; 14:8 except in the matter of Uriah  * 15:5 2Sm 11:3,15–17; 12:9–10 the Hethite.

6 There had been war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Rehoboam’s life.  * 15:6 1Kg 14:30; 2Ch 12:157 The rest of the events of Abijam’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.  * 15:7 1Kg 14:29 There was also war between Abijam and Jeroboam.  * 15:7 2Ch 13:4–208 Abijam rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.  * 15:8 1Kg 14:31; 2Ch 14:1 His son Asa became king in his place.  * 15:8 1Kg 14:31; 2Ch 14–16

Judah’s King Asa

9 In the twentieth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam,  * 15:9 1Kg 15:1 Asa became king of Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s  * 15:10 Lit mother’s name was Maacah  * 15:10 1Kg 15:2 daughter of Abishalom.

11 Asa did what was right in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.  * 15:11 1Kg 9:4–5; 2Ch 14:212 He banished the male cult prostitutes  * 15:12 Dt 23:17; 1Kg 14:24 from the land and removed all of the idols that his ancestors had made.  * 15:11–12 1Kg 11:7; 14:23; 2Ch 14:3,513 He also  * 15:13–15 2Ch 15:16–18 removed his grandmother  * 15:13 Lit mother Maacah from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image and burned it  * 15:13 Ex 32:20 in the Kidron Valley.  * 15:13 2Kg 23:614 The high places were not taken away,  * 15:14 1Kg 22:43 but Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his entire life.  * 15:14 1Kg 8:61; 15:315 He brought his father’s consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into the Lord’s temple: silver, gold, and utensils.  * 15:15 1Kg 7:51

16 There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns.  * 15:16 1Kg 15:3217 Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah.  * 15:17–22 2Ch 16:1–6 He built Ramah  * 15:17 Jos 18:25 in order to keep anyone from leaving or coming to King Asa of Judah. 18 So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple  * 15:18 1Kg 14:26 and the treasuries of the royal palace and gave it to his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad  * 15:18 1Kg 20:1 son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion king of Aram who lived in Damascus,  * 15:18 1Kg 11:23–24 saying, 19 "There is a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father.  * 15:19 1Kg 5:12; 2Ch 16:7 Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go and break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel  * 15:19 1Kg 15:27–28 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,  * 15:20 2Kg 15:29 Dan,  * 15:20 Jdg 18:29; 1Kg 12:29 Abel-beth-maacah,  * 15:20 2Sm 20:15; 2Kg 15:29 all Chinnereth,  * 15:20 Jos 11:2; 12:3 and the whole land of Naphtali.  * 15:20 Jos 19:32–39; 1Kg 20:3421 When Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah.  * 15:21 1Kg 14:17; 15:33; 16:8,15–1822 Then King Asa gave a command to everyone without exception in Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then King Asa built Geba  * 15:22 Jos 18:24; 21:17 of Benjamin and Mizpah  * 15:22 Jos 11:3; 2Ch 16:6 with them.

23 The rest of all the events of Asa’s reign,  * 15:23–24 2Ch 16:11–14 along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.  * 15:23 1Kg 14:29; 15:7 But in his old age he developed a disease in his feet.  * 15:23 2Ch 16:1224 Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of his ancestor David.  * 15:24 1Kg 14:31; 15:8 His son Jehoshaphat  * 15:24 1Kg 22:41–50 became king in his place.

Israel’s King Nadab

25 Nadab son of Jeroboam  * 15:25 1Kg 14:20 became king over Israel in the second year of Judah’s King Asa; he reigned over Israel two years. 26 Nadab did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of his father and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.  * 15:26 1Kg 14:16; 15:30,34

27 Then Baasha  * 15:27 1Kg 14:14; 15:16 son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon  * 15:27 Jos 19:44; 1Kg 16:15 of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon. 28 In the third year of Judah’s King Asa,  * 15:28 1Kg 15:8–24; 2Ch 14–16 Baasha killed Nadab  * 15:28 1Kg 16:8–10 and reigned in his place.

29 When Baasha became king, he struck down the entire house of Jeroboam.  * 15:29 1Kg 13:34 He did not leave Jeroboam any survivors but  * 15:29 Lit Jeroboam anyone breathing until he destroyed his family according to the word of the Lord he had spoken through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.  * 15:29 1Kg 14:1030 This was because Jeroboam had angered  * 15:30 Lit provoked in the provocation of the Lord God of Israel by the sins he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.  * 15:30 1Kg 14:7–9

31 The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.  * 15:31 1Kg 14:19; 16:532 There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns.  * 15:32 1Kg 15:16

Israel’s King Baasha

33 In the third year of Judah’s King Asa, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah  * 15:33 1Kg 15:21 twenty-four years. 34 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of Jeroboam and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.  * 15:34 1Kg 14:16