Abiya Mfalme Wa Yuda
(1 Wafalme 15:1-8)
1Katika mwaka wa kumi na nane wa utawala wa Yeroboamu, Abiya akawa mfalme wa Yuda, 213:2 2Nya 11:20; 1Fal 15:6naye akatawala huko Yerusalemu miaka mitatu. Mama yake aliitwa Maaka, binti Urieli wa Gibea.
Basi kulikuwa na vita kati ya Abiya na Yeroboamu. 3Abiya aliingia vitani na jeshi la watu 400,000 wenye uwezo wa kupigana, naye Yeroboamu akapanga jeshi dhidi ya Abiya akiwa na jeshi la watu 800,000 wenye uwezo.
413:4 Yos 18:22; 1Nya 11:1Abiya akasimama juu ya Mlima Semaraimu, katika nchi ya vilima ya Efraimu, naye akasema, “Yeroboamu na Israeli yote, nisikilizeni mimi! 513:5 2Sam 7:13; 1Nya 17:12; Law 2:13; Hes 18:19; Amu 11:21-24; Eze 43:24; 1Sam 16:13; Za 89:20; Lk 1:31-33Hamfahamu kwamba Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli, alimpa Daudi na wazao wake ufalme juu ya Israeli milele kwa Agano la chumvi? 613:6 1Fal 11:26; 12:20; 2Nya 10:19Hata hivyo Yeroboamu mwana wa Nebati afisa wa Solomoni mwana wa Daudi, aliasi dhidi ya bwana wake. 713:7 Amu 9:4; Za 26:4; Mdo 17:5; Mit 12:11Baadhi ya watu wasiofaa kitu, wabaya kabisa walimkusanyikia na kumpinga Rehoboamu mwana wa Solomoni alipokuwa kijana mdogo asiyekuwa na uamuzi, asiye na nguvu za kuweza kupingana nao.
813:8 Za 68:25; 1Nya 25:10-24; 2Nya 29:2513:8 Kut 32:4; 1Fal 12:28; Hos 8:6“Hata sasa unapanga kupingana na ufalme wa Bwana ambao uko mikononi mwa wazao wa Daudi. Kweli ninyi ni jeshi kubwa nanyi mnazo ndama za dhahabu Yeroboamu alizozitengeneza kuwa miungu yenu. 913:9 2Nya 11:14-15; Kut 29:35-36; Gal 4:8; Yer 2:11Lakini je, hamkuwafukuza makuhani wa Bwana, wana wa Aroni na Walawi na kujifanyia makuhani wenu wenyewe kama yafanyavyo mataifa ya nchi nyingine? Yeyote anayekuja kujiweka wakfu akiwa na ndama dume na kondoo dume saba aweza kuwa kuhani wa kile ambacho ni miungu kwenu.
10“Lakini kwetu sisi, Bwana ndiye Mungu wetu, wala hatujamwacha. Makuhani wanaomtumikia Bwana ni wana wa Aroni, nao Walawi wakiwasaidia. 1113:11 Kut 29:39; 2Nya 2:4; Law 24:2-6; 1Nya 9:24; Kut 27:20-21Kila asubuhi na jioni wao hutoa sadaka za kuteketezwa na kufukiza uvumba wa harufu nzuri kwa Bwana. Wao huweka mikate juu ya meza safi kwa taratibu za kiibada na kuwasha taa kwenye kinara cha dhahabu kila jioni. Sisi tunazishika kanuni za Bwana Mungu wetu. Lakini ninyi mmemwacha Mungu. 1213:12 Hes 10:8-9; Amu 2:15; Mdo 5:39; Kum 20:4; Yos 5:4; Za 20:7; Ay 15:25-26; Mdo 9:4-5Mungu yu pamoja nasi, yeye ndiye kiongozi wetu. Makuhani wake wakiwa na tarumbeta zao watapiga baragumu ya vita dhidi yenu. Watu wa Israeli, msipigane dhidi ya Bwana, Mungu wa baba zenu, kwa maana hamtashinda.”
1313:13 2Nya 20:22; Yos 8:9Basi Yeroboamu alikuwa ametuma jeshi kuzunguka nyuma ya Yuda ili kwamba akiwa mbele ya Yuda, jeshi liwavizie kwa nyuma. 1413:14 1Nya 5:20; 2Nya 18:31Basi Yuda wakageuka na kuona kwamba wanashambuliwa mbele na nyuma. Ndipo wakamlilia Bwana. Makuhani wakapiga tarumbeta zao, 1513:15 2Nya 14:12; Hes 32:4nao watu wa Yuda wakapaza sauti ya kilio cha vita. Katika kupiga kelele za vita, Mungu akawafukuza Yeroboamu na Israeli wote mbele ya Mfalme Abiya na Yuda. 1613:16 2Nya 16:8Waisraeli wakakimbia mbele ya Yuda, naye Mungu akawatia Israeli mikononi mwao. 17Abiya na watu wake wakawachinja kwa machinjo makuu, hata wakawepo majeruhi 500,000 miongoni mwa watu wenye uwezo wa Israeli. 1813:18 1Nya 5:20; Za 22:5; Amu 8:28; 2Fal 18:5; 2Nya 16:8-9; 20:20Watu wa Israeli walitiishwa katika tukio lile, nao watu wa Yuda wakawa washindi kwa sababu walimtegemea Bwana, Mungu wa baba zao.
1913:19 Yos 15:9; Yn 11:54Abiya akamfuatia Yeroboamu na kuteka miji ya Betheli, Yeshana na Efroni kutoka kwake, pamoja na vijiji vinavyoizunguka miji hiyo. 2013:20 1Sam 25:38; Eze 24:16; Mdo 12:23; 1Sam 26:10; 1Fal 14:20Yeroboamu hakupata nguvu tena wakati wa utawala wa Abiya. Naye Bwana akampiga Yeroboamu akafa.
21Lakini Abiya akapata nguvu. Alioa wanawake kumi na wanne na alikuwa na wana ishirini na wawili na binti kumi na sita.
2213:22 2Nya 9:29; 12:15Matukio mengine ya utawala wa Abiya, pamoja na mambo aliyofanya na aliyosema, yameandikwa katika kitabu cha maelezo cha nabii Ido.
Abijah King of Judah
1In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah, 2and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah,13:2 Most Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 11:20 and 1 Kings 15:2); Hebrew Micaiah a daughter13:2 Or granddaughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3Abijah went into battle with an army of four hundred thousand able fighting men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand able troops.
4Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me! 5Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? 6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled against his master. 7Some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive and not strong enough to resist them.
8“And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9But didn’t you drive out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.
10“As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. 11Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him. 12God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”
13Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them. 14Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets 15and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. 17Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel’s able men. 18The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. 20Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died.
21But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22The other events of Abijah’s reign, what he did and what he said, are written in the annotations of the prophet Iddo.
