Abijah's War with Jeroboam
(1 Kings 15.1-8)1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam of Israel, Abijah became king of Judah, 2 and he ruled three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Micaiah daughter of Uriel, from the city of Gibeah.
War broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah raised an army of 400,000 soldiers, and Jeroboam opposed him with an army of 800,000.
4 The armies met in the hill country of Ephraim. King Abijah went up Mount Zemaraim and called out to Jeroboam and the Israelites: “Listen to me!” he said. 5 “Don't you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, made an unbreakable covenant with David, giving him and his descendants kingship over Israel forever? 6 Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against Solomon, his king. 7 Later he gathered together a group of worthless scoundrels, and they forced their will on Rehoboam son of Solomon, who was too young and inexperienced to resist them. 8 Now you propose to fight against the royal authority that the Lord gave to David's descendants. You have a huge army and have with you the gold bull-calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9 You drove out the Lord's priests, the descendants of Aaron, and you drove out the Levites. In their place you appointed priests in the same way that other nations do. Anybody who comes along with a bull or seven sheep can get himself consecrated as a priest of those so-called gods of yours.
10 “But we still serve the Lord our God and have not abandoned him. Priests descended from Aaron perform their duties, and Levites assist them. 11 Every morning and every evening they offer him incense and animal sacrifices burned whole. They present the offerings of bread on a table that is ritually clean, and every evening they light the lamps on the gold lampstand. We do what the Lord has commanded, but you have abandoned him. 12 God himself is our leader and his priests are here with trumpets, ready to blow them and call us to battle against you. People of Israel, don't fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors! You can't win!”
13 Meanwhile Jeroboam had sent some of his troops to ambush the Judean army from the rear, while the rest faced them from the front. 14 The Judeans looked around and saw that they were surrounded. They cried to the Lord for help, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 The Judeans gave a loud shout, and led by Abijah, they attacked; God defeated Jeroboam and the Israelite army. 16 The Israelites fled from the Judeans, and God let the Judeans overpower them. 17 Abijah and his army dealt the Israelites a crushing defeat—half a million of Israel's best soldiers were killed. 18 And so the people of Judah were victorious over Israel, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam's army and occupied some of his cities: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, and the villages near each of these cities. 20 Jeroboam never regained his power during Abijah's reign. Finally the Lord struck him down, and he died.
21 Abijah, however, grew more powerful. He had fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the history of Abijah, what he said and what he did, is written in The History of Iddo the Prophet.
Kyila Abija ro Yeroboama be
(1 'Bädri'bai 15:1-8)1 Ndroa 'butealo fonjidriena ŋgamiri Yeroboama 'Bädri'ba Yisaraele rosi oko, Abija a'dote 'bädri'ba Yuda ro, 2 nda mirivote ndroa nätu Yerusalema ya. Endre ndaro ävuruna ni Mikaya ŋguti Uriela ro, ni 'bakici Gibea yasi.
Kyila a'dote lakole Abija ro Yeroboama be ya. 3 Abija oyite kyila ya kyila'bai turiako'bai kyila oyero kutu kama su (400,000) alo be; ago Yeroboama raa kyila'bai ndaro te kutu kama njidriena (800,000) kyila oyene nda be.
4 Kyila'bai kai usuyi iyi te 'bädri lutu ro Eperaima roya. 'Dooko Abija tute kuru 'Bereŋwa Zemaraima ro dri ago ayotate Yeroboama ndi Yisaraele'bai be ri nda ekye: Nyeri ta maro! Yeroboama mi ndi Yisaraele cini be! 5 Inye'do mini ṛoko OPI, Lu Yisaraele ro 'ba tao'baro se pereako ono te Dawidi be, kozo a'do 'bädri'ba robe ndäri ago zelevoi ndaro ri orine Yisaraele dri äduako ono ṛoko ya? 6 Caoko Yeroboama ŋgwa Nebata ro, ogbote Solomo 'bädri'ba ndaro be. 7 Kovolesi oko nda otokala lidri kozi azaka rote, se ànya leyi Rehoboama ŋgwa Solomo ro tezo, se orivoya pari agoanjiŋwa ro tauniako amba ago ni kote komba otone ànya be. 8 Ago yauono nyusutavote kyila oyene dri'bai miri ro se OPI kozobe zelevoi Dawidi ro ri ono be. Ami orivoya kyila'bai be lowa ro ago 'daŋgoi läguläguro se Yeroboama kedebe lu ro ämiri kwoi orivoya ami be. 9 Minja kohanii OPI ro, ŋgwàagoro Arona rote, ndi Lewe'bai be. Ago migo mi'ba kohanii te vo ànyaro yasi oso tu'dei azaka kayibe oyena ronye. 'Diaza kikyite 'daŋgo alodi kode timelegogo njidrieri be, a'ba nda te kohani ro ŋgase mizibe lui iyi ri.
10 Oko mà drigba ruindu OPI Lu amaro ri ago me'be nda kote. Kohanii zelevoi Arona ro kayi kama ànyaro oyena, ago Lewe'bai kayi ànya opa. 11 Ànya kayi ŋgapäṛi ŋga tägyi ŋgutruro ndi koronya se ozaro cu tori ro 'do be ozana kyenoŋbo cini ndi tandrole cini be si. Ànya kayi ŋgapäṛi ambata ro o'bana tara'biza se alokado wäṛiro ono dri, ago tandrole cini si ànya kayi lamba eyi logo läguläguro lamba edrero dri. Mà tase OPI kozo otana be oyena, oko nye'be nda te. 12 Lu modo ni dri'ba amaro, ago kohanii orivoya ama be noŋwa cekuṛei be, te nja ovone ama uziza kyila oyene ami yibe. Ami lidri Yisaraele ro, miye kyila ko OPI, Lu zutui amiro robe! Tana minina ko opene ṛe!
13 Anjioko Yeroboama zo kyila'bai ndaro azaka te uvune kyila'bai Yuda ro kundusi; ago kyila'bai azaka orivoya mileyasi. 14 Ondro lidri Yuda ro kondrevote gbikyi oko, ànya ndrete anjioko ämudri ànyaro te. 'Dooko ànya ayodrite OPI ri ta ŋgaopa rota, ago kohanii voyi cekuṛe te. 15 'Dooko lidri Yuda ro treyi otre kyila oyero te, Abija 'dete mileya; ago ànya gotayi ŋga te; Lu pe Yeroboama ndi kyila'bai Yisaraele robe te ṛe. 16 Lidri Yisaraele ro muyite ni lidri Yuda ro risi, ago Lu 'ba lidri Yuda ro pe ànya te ṛe. 17 Abija ndi kyila'bai ndaro be peyi Yisaraele'bai te pari ṛe, tufuyi kyila'bai kadopara Yisaraele rote orivoya kutu kama nji. 18 Ta'dota lidri Yuda ro peyi lidri Yisaraele rote ṛe, tana ànya ätirute OPI, Lu zutu ànyaro ro lomvo.
19 Abija sote kyila'bai Yeroboama ro vo, ago kyi ru 'bakicii ndaro Betele, Jesana ndi Eferona be, ndi 'baŋwai se lototi 'bakicii kwoi lomvosi be te. 20 Tu ŋgamiri Abija ro rosi Yeroboama go a'do kote mbara be alona. Äduro OPI 'bi nda te ago nda drate.
21 Oko Abija a'dote mbaraekye. Ago nda gye 'ditoko te 'butealo fosu, ago ti ŋgwàagoro te 'buteritu foritu ndi ndiriŋwa 'butealo fonjidrialo be. 22 Ta rukä ambâ Abija ro ro, tase nda katabe ndi tase nda koyebe be, egyi tana te Ambâ Nebi Ido ro roya.