1In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam Abijah reigned upon Judah; (In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign upon Judah;)

2he reigned three years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And battle was betwixt Abijah and Jeroboam.

3And when Abijah had begun battle, and had with him most chivalrous men, and four hundred thousand of chosen men, Jeroboam arrayed on the contrary the battle array with eight hundred thousand of men, and they were chosen men, and most strong men to battle. (And when Abijah began the battle, he had with him four hundred thousand most able, chosen men, and Jeroboam arrayed his battle array opposite him, with eight hundred thousand men, who were also very strong, and chosen for battle.)

4And Abijah stood upon the hill Zemaraim (or And Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim), that was in Ephraim, and he said, Hear thou, Jeroboam, and all Israel;

5whether ye know not, that the Lord God of Israel gave to David the realm on Israel without end, to him and to his sons into the covenant of salt, that is, steadfast and stable? (do ye not know that the Lord God of Israel gave David the kingdom of Israel forevermore, yea, to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?)

6And now Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon, the son of David, hath risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.

7And most vain men, the sons of Belial, were gathered together to him, and they had might against Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. Certainly Rehoboam was boistous, either fond /or untaught, and of fearedful heart, and might not against-stand them (or and could not stand against them).

8Now therefore ye say, that ye be able to against-stand the realm of the Lord, that he holdeth in possession by the sons of David; and ye have a great multitude of people, and ye have golden calves, which Jeroboam made into gods to you. (And so now ye say, that ye be able to stand against the kingdom of the Lord, that he gave to the sons of David to have in possession; and ye have a great multitude of people, and ye have gold calves, which Jeroboam made to be your gods.)

9And ye have cast away the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the deacons, and ye have made priests to you, as all the peoples of (other) lands have priests; whoever cometh and halloweth his hand in a bull, in oxes, and in seven wethers, anon he is made priest of them that be not gods. (And ye have thrown away the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and ye have made priests for yourselves, like all the peoples of other lands have; so that whoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bull, and with seven rams, he at once is made a priest of them that be not gods.)

10But our Lord is God, whom we forsake not; and [the] priests of the sons of Aaron minister to the Lord, and (the) deacons be in their order; (But our Lord is God, whom we will not abandon; and the priests of the sons of Aaron serve the Lord, and the Levites assist them;)

11and they offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord by each day in the morrowtide and eventide, and also incense made by commandments of the law; and loaves be set forth in a most clean board; and at us is the golden candlestick, and the lantern thereof, that it be tended ever at eventide; and we keep the behests of our God, whom ye have forsaken. (and they offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord each day in the morning and in the evening, and also burn the incense as commanded by the Law; and the loaves be set forth on a most clean table; and with us is the gold candlestick, and its lanterns, that they light every evening; for we follow the orders, or the commands, of our God, whom ye have deserted.)

12Therefore God is duke in our host, and his priests, that trump and sound against you; do not ye, sons of Israel, fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for it speedeth not to you. (And so God is the leader of our army, and of his priests, who be ready to sound against you with trumpets; do not, ye Israelites, fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for it shall not profit you or for ye shall not prosper.)

13While Abijah spake these things, Jeroboam made ready treasons behind (them); and when Jeroboam stood even against his enemies, he (en)compassed (them) with his host, Judah unwitting. (And while Abijah spoke all these things, Jeroboam prepared an attack behind them; and so while Jeroboam stood in front of his enemies, he was also behind them with his army, but Judah was unwitting, or unknowing.)

14And Judah beheld, and he saw battle nigh even against before them, and behind their back; and he cried to the Lord, and [the] priests began to trump. (But then the men of Judah looked about, and they saw that the battle was to come from in front of them, and also from behind their backs; and they cried to the Lord, and the priests began to sound their trumpets.)

15And all the men of Judah cried out, and, lo! while they cried on high, God made afeared Jeroboam and all Israel, that stood even against Judah and Abijah/which stood [over] against Judah and Abijah. (And all the men of Judah cried out, and, behold! while they cried on high, God made Jeroboam and all Israel afraid, who stood opposite, (or in front of), Judah and Abijah.)

16And the men of Israel fled from Judah, and God betook them into the hands of the men of Judah.

17Therefore Abijah and his people smote them with a great wound, and there felled down of them five hundred thousand of strong men wounded. (And so Abijah and his people struck them down there with a great slaughter, and five hundred thousand strong men of them fell down slain.)

18And the sons of Israel were made low in that time, and the sons of Judah were comforted full greatly, for they had hoped in the Lord God of their fathers. (And the Israelites were brought low at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed, for they had hoped in the Lord God of their fathers.)

19And Abijah pursued Jeroboam fleeing, and took his cities, that is, Bethel and his villages, and Jeshanah with his villages, and Ephron and his villages; (And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took his cities, that is, Bethel, and its villages, and Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron, and all its villages;)

20and Jeroboam might no more against-stand (Judah) in the days of Abijah, whom the Lord smote, and he was dead. (and Jeroboam never regained his power in the days of Abijah, and finally the Lord struck him down, and he died.)

21Therefore Abijah, when his empire was comforted, took fourteen wives, and he begat two and twenty sons, and sixteen daughters. (And so Abijah, when his empire was strengthened, or confirmed, took fourteen wives, and he begat twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters.)

22The residue of [the] words of Abijah, and of his ways and his works, be written full diligently in the book of Iddo, the prophet. (And the rest of the deeds of Abijah, his ways and his works, be very diligently written down in The Book of Iddo, the prophet.)