1 Abião começou o seu reinado de apenas três anos como rei de Judá, em Jerusalém, dezoito anos após o início do reinado de Jeroboão rei de Israel. (A mãe de Abião chamava-se Maacá; era filha de Absalão.)
3 Pecou ainda mais do que o seu pai; o seu coração não foi recto para com Deus, como tinha sido o do rei David.
4 Apesar do pecado de Abião, o Senhor lembrou-se do amor que tinha por David e não fez terminar a sua linhagem real,
5 visto que David obedecera a Deus todo o tempo da sua vida, excepto naquele assunto de Urias, o heteu.
6 Durante o reinado de Abião continuou a haver sempre guerra entre os dois reinos de Judá e de Israel.
7 O resto da história deste reinado está relatado nas Crónicas dos Reis de Judá.
8 Quando morreu, foi enterrado em Jerusalém e o seu filho Asa reinou em seu lugar.
9 Asa tornou-se rei de Judá em Jerusalém vinte anos depois de Jeroboão ter começado a reinar sobre Israel. Reinou quarenta e um anos. (A sua avó era Maacá, filha de Absalão.) Asa agradou ao Senhor à semelhança do seu antepassado David. Mandou executar os prostitutos, e retirar todos os ídolos que o seu pai mandara fazer. Destituíu a sua avó Maacá como rainha-mãe por ela ter mandado fazer um ídolo, que o monarca deitou abaixo e queimou no ribeiro de Cedrom. Contudo mantiveram-se os nichos sobre as colinas, apesar do coração de Asa se manter fiel ao Senhor toda a sua vida. Fez que estivessem expostos permanentemente no templo os escudos que o seu pai tinha mandado fazer e que tinha consagrado, ao mesmo tempo que os objectos de prata e de ouro que ele próprio dedicou.
16 Houve guerra permanente entre o rei Asa de Judá e o rei Basha de Israel. O rei Basha construiu a cidade fortaleza de Ramá numa tentativa de cortar todas as relações com Jerusalém. Então Asa pegou em toda a prata e todo o ouro que ficara no templo e no palácio real e entregou-o aos líderes do seu reino para que levassem a Damasco como presente ao rei da Síria, Ben-Hadade, com esta mensagem:
19 Tornemo-nos aliados tal como os nossos pais foram. Esta mensagem acompanha um presente de prata e de ouro. Anula, peço-te, a aliança que tens com Basha, o rei de Israel, para que me deixe em paz.
20 Ben-Hadade concordou e mandou os seus exércitos contra algumas das povoações de Israel; destruiu Ijom, Dan, Abel-Bete-Maacá, toda a Quinerete e todas as povoações de Naftali. Quando Basha recebeu a notícia do ataque, deixou de construir Ramá e voltou para Tirza. O rei Asa fez circular em toda Judá uma proclamação pedindo a cada homem fisicamente apto que viesse ajudar a destruir Ramá e deitassem abaixo todas as construções de pedra e de madeira. O rei Asa empregou esses materiais para construir Geba, em Benjamim, e a cidade de Mizpá.
23 O resto da biografia de Asa - as suas conquistas e feitos, mais os nomes das povoações que mandou construir - encontra-se nas Crónicas dos Reis de Judá. Na sua velhice o rei começou a padecer dos pés. Quando morreu foi sepultado no cemitério real em Jerusalém. Seu filho Jeosafá tornou-se o novo rei de Judá.
25 Entretanto em Israel, Nadabe, filho de Jeroboão, tornara-se rei. Reinou dois anos, começando no segundo ano do reinado de Asa, rei de Judá. Não foi um bom rei. À semelhança do seu pai, adorou muito ídolos e levou Israel a pecar.
27 Foi então que Basha (filho de Aías da tribo de Issacar) conspirou contra Nadabe e o assassinou quando, com o exército de Israel, estava a sitiar a cidade filistéia de Gibetom.
28 Assim Basha substituiu Nadabe como rei de Israel, em Tirza, durante o terceiro ano do reinado de Asa, rei de Judá. Imediatamente matou todos os descendentes do rei Jeroboão, de tal forma que mais ninguém da família real ficou em vida, tal como o Senhor dissera que havia de acontecer quando falou por intermédio de Aías, o profeta de Silo. Isto foi assim porque Jeroboão acendeu a ira do Senhor Deus de Israel, pecando e levando o resto de Israel a pecar. Mais informações sobre o reinado de Basha estão registados nas Crónicas dos Reis de Israel.
32 Houve continuamente guerra entre o rei Asa de Judá e o rei Basha de Israel. Basha reinou vinte e quatro anos, mas em todo esse tempo continuamente desobedeceu ao Senhor. Seguiu os maus caminhos de Jeroboão, levando Israel ao pecado da adoração de ídolos.
1 Now, in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, began Abijah to reign over Judah.
2 Three years, reigned he in Jerusalem,and, the name of his mother, was Maachah, daughter of Abishalom.
3 And he walked in all the sins of his father which he had done before him,and his heart was not blameless with Yahweh his God, like the heart of David his father.
4 But, for the sake of David, did Yahweh his God give him a lamp, in Jerusalem,by raising up a son of his after him, and by suffering Jerusalem to stand;
5 because David did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh,and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him, all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
6 And there was, war, between Rehoboam and Jeroboam, all the days of his life.
7 Now, the rest of the story of Abijah and all that he did, are, they, not written in the book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was, war, between Abijah and Jeroboam.
8 So then Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David,and, Asa his son, reigned, in his stead.
9 Now, in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, began Asa to reign as king of Judah;
10 and, forty-one years, reigned he in Jerusalem,and, the name of his mother, was Maachah, daughter of Abishalom.
11 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh,like David his father;
12 and he put away the male devotees out of the land,and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
13 Moreover also, even Maachah his mother, he removed from being queen, because she had made a monstrous thing to the Sacred Stem,and Asa cut down her monstrous thing and burned it in the Kidron ravine.
14 But, the high places, removed he not,nevertheless, the heart of Asa, was blameless with Yahweh, all his days.
15 And he brought in the hallowed things of his father, and his own hallowed things, into the house of Yahweh,silver and gold, and vessels.
16 And there was, war, between Asa and Baasha king of Israel, all their days.
17 And Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah,so as not to suffer any one to come out or go in unto Asa king of Judah.
18 So Asa took all the silver and the gold, that were left in the treasuries of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the house of the king, and delivered them into the hand of his servants,and King Asa sent them unto Ben-hadad, son of Tabrimmon, son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying:
19 between my father and thy father: Lo! I have sent thee a gift, silver and gold, Come break thy covenant with Baasha, king of Israel, that he may go up from against me.
20 So Ben-hadad hearkened unto King Asa, and sent the generals of the forces which he had, against the cities of Israel, and smote Iyyohn Ijon , and Dan, and Abel-beth-maacah,and all Chinneroth, against all the land of Naphtali.
21 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, he left off building Ramah,and returned to Tirzah.
22 And, King Asa, published it unto all Judah, none was exempted, so they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the beams thereof, wherewith Baasha had built,and King Asa built therewith Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.
23 Now, the rest of all the story of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did and the cities which he built, are, they, not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? Howbeit, in the time of his old age, he was diseased in his feet.
24 So then Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers, in the city of David his father,and, Jehoshaphat his son, reigned, in his stead.
25 Now, Nadab son of Jeroboam, began to reign over Israel, in the second year of Asa king of Judah,and he reigned over Israel, two years.
26 And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh,and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin, wherewith he caused, Israel, to sin.
27 And Baasha son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him, and Baasha smote him in Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines,Nadab and all Israel being in siege against Gibbethon.
28 And Baasha slew him, in the third year of Asa king of Judah,and reigned in his stead.
29 And it came to pass, when he became king, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam, he left not remaining any breathing thing pertaining to Jeroboam, until he had destroyed him,according to the word of Yahweh, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the Shilonite:
30 for the sins of Jeroboam which he committed, and which he caused, Israel, to commit,by his provocation wherewith he provoked to anger Yahweh God of Israel.
31 Now, the rest of the story of Nadab, and all that he did, are, they, not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?
32 And there was, war, between Asa and Baasha king of Israel, all their days.
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, began Baasha, son of Ahijah, to reign over all Israel, in Tirzah, twenty-four years.
34 And he did that which was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh,and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he caused, Israel, to sin.