1 Kings 15

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

² He reigned in Jerusalem for three years. 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, like the heart of David his father.

⁴ But for David’s sake, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, raising up his son after him and establishing Jerusalem.

⁵ For 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 The rest of Abijam’s acts, 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. Asa his son became king in his place.

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

¹⁰ He reigned in Jerusalem for forty-one years. His mother’s name was Maacah, daughter of Abishalom.

¹¹ Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, like David his father.

¹² He drove the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols his ancestors had made.

¹³ He also removed his mother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her detestable image and burned it by the Kidron Brook.

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 marched against Judah and built Ramah, so that no one could go out from or come in to Asa king of Judah.

¹⁸ Then Asa took all the silver and gold remaining in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal house, 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, with this message:

¹⁹ “There is a treaty between me and you, and between my father and your father. Look, 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 struck Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all of Chinneroth, and all the land of Naphtali.

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

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

²³ The rest of all Asa’s acts, 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 when he was old, he became ill in his feet.

²⁴ Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David his father. Jehoshaphat his son became king 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 for 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, which he had led 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 became king in his place.

²⁹ As soon as he became king, he struck down all the house of Jeroboam. He left Jeroboam no one who breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD spoken through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.

³⁰ This was because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had led Israel to commit, and because he had provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.

³¹ The rest of Nadab’s acts, 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 for 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, which he had led Israel to commit.

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