1 Kings 15

15 ¹ In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. ² He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. ³ He repeated all his father's sins before him; his heart was not fully devoted to our Father, as David his ancestor's heart had been. ⁴ Yet for David's sake our Father gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, raising up his son after him and keeping Jerusalem standing. ⁵ David had done right in our Father's eyes and never turned from all he commanded him, all his life—except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. ⁶ There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of their lives. ⁷ Abijam's other acts, all he did—aren't they written in the record of Judah's kings? War continued between Abijam and Jeroboam. ⁸ Abijam rested with his fathers, buried in the City of David. His son Asa reigned instead.

Asa Seeks the Father's Heart

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah. ¹⁰ He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother's name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. ¹¹ Asa did what was right in the eyes of our Father, like David his ancestor. ¹² He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols his ancestors made. ¹³ He removed his grandmother Maacah as queen mother because she made a vile image for Asherah; Asa cut down her image and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ The high places remained, but Asa's heart was fully devoted to our Father all his days. ¹⁵ He brought into our Father's house what his father and he himself had dedicated: silver, gold, and sacred vessels.

¹⁶ There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ¹⁷ Baasha king of Israel marched against Judah and fortified Ramah, letting no one leave or enter Asa king of Judah's realm. ¹⁸ Then Asa took all the silver and gold left in the treasuries of the house of our Father and the treasuries of the royal palace and gave them to his servants. King Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion, king of Aram, ruling in Damascus, with this message: ¹⁹ Let there be a treaty between us, as between my father and yours. I'm sending you silver and gold as a gift. Go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so he'll withdraw from me.

²⁰ Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa and sent his army commanders against Israel's cities, striking Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, all Kinnereth, and all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ When Baasha heard this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and stayed in Tirzah. ²² King Asa proclaimed to all Judah—no one excused—and they carried off the stones and timber Baasha had used to build Ramah. With them Asa built Geba in Benjamin, and Mizpah. ²³ The rest of Asa's deeds, all his strength, all he did, and the cities he built—aren't they written in the annals of the kings of Judah? Yet in his old age he had a disease in his feet. ²⁴ Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of David his ancestor. His son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.

Nadab's Evil Reign in Israel

²⁵ Nadab son of Jeroboam began reigning over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, reigning over Israel two years. ²⁶ He did evil in our Father's eyes, walking in his father's way and the sin he made Israel commit. ²⁷ Baasha son of Ahijah, an Issacharite, conspired against him, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel besieged Gibbethon. ²⁸ Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. ²⁹ Once he became king, he struck down all Jeroboam's house, leaving him no one breathing, until he destroyed them all, as our Father had spoken through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. ³⁰ —for the sins Jeroboam committed and made Israel commit, provoking our Father, the God of Israel, to anger.

³¹ Aren't the rest of Nadab's deeds, all he did, written in the book of the chronicles of Israel's kings? ³² There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

Baasha Reigns in Israel

³³ In Asa king of Judah's third year, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah for twenty-four years. ³⁴ He did evil in the eyes of our Father, walking in Jeroboam's way and the sin he caused Israel to commit.