📖 1 Kings — Chapter 15 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
1 Kings 15:1 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.
1 Kings 15:2 Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. and his mother’s name was RTMaachah, the daughter of TAbishalom.
1 Kings 15:3 And he walked in Rall the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
1 Kings 15:4 Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God Rgive him a Tlamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:
1 Kings 15:5 Because RDavid did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
1 Kings 15:6 And Rthere was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
1 Kings 15:7 Now Rthe rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
1 Kings 15:8 And RAbijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead.
1 Kings 15:9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.
1 Kings 15:10 And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his Tmother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.
1 Kings 15:11 And RAsa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.
1 Kings 15:12 And he took away Rthe sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
1 Kings 15:13 And also RMaachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa Tdestroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
1 Kings 15:14 But Rthe high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.
1 Kings 15:15 And Rhe brought in the Tthings which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.
1 Kings 15:16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
1 Kings 15:17 And RBaasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
1 Kings 15:18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at RDamascus, saying,
1 Kings 15:19 RThere is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may Tdepart from me.
1 Kings 15:20 So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote RIjon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.
1 Kings 15:21 And it came to pass, Rwhen Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.
1 Kings 15:22 Then king Asa Rmade a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was Texempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.
1 Kings 15:23 The Rrest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.
1 Kings 15:24 And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and RTJehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.
1 Kings 15:25 And RNadab the son of Jeroboam Tbegan to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.
1 Kings 15:26 And Rhe did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.
1 Kings 15:27 And RBaasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.
1 Kings 15:28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.
1 Kings 15:29 And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; Rhe left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite:
1 Kings 15:30 Because of Rthe sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.
1 Kings 15:31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, Rare they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
1 Kings 15:32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
1 Kings 15:33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, Rtwenty and four years.
1 Kings 15:34 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and Rwalked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Kings 15:1–8 — Abijam’s short and unfaithful reign
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Abijam continues his father’s sins, yet David’s royal line remains as a lamp in Jerusalem. The narrator remembers David’s faithfulness while expressly naming the wrong concerning Uriah. Abijam’s reign includes conflict, and Asa succeeds him. Faithful remembrance does not require hiding wrongdoing.
Key Truth: Tell a person’s story honestly, including both faithfulness and failure.
Check What You Remember
1. How many years did Abijam reign? (1 Kings 15:2)
Find it in 1 Kings 15:2 (KJV).
2. What image describes the preserved line in Jerusalem? (1 Kings 15:4)
Find it in 1 Kings 15:4 (KJV).
3. Which Hittite is named in the exception concerning David? (1 Kings 15:5)
Find it in 1 Kings 15:5 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Kings 15:9–24 — Asa’s reforms and conflict with Baasha
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Asa does right, removes idols, and acts even against a powerful family member’s idol. High places remain, so the account distinguishes reform from complete removal of every problem. In war with Baasha he pays Benhadad to change alliances. His reign ends after forty-one years, and Jehoshaphat succeeds him.
Key Truth: Faithfulness may require confronting wrongdoing within one’s own circle.
Check What You Remember
1. Which king did what was right in the LORD’s eyes? (1 Kings 15:11)
Find it in 1 Kings 15:11 (KJV).
2. Beside which brook was Maachah’s idol burned? (1 Kings 15:13)
Find it in 1 Kings 15:13 (KJV).
3. Who succeeded Asa? (1 Kings 15:24)
Find it in 1 Kings 15:24 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Kings 15:25–34 — Nadab’s death and Baasha’s rise
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Nadab follows Jeroboam’s sin. Baasha kills him during the siege of Gibbethon and destroys Jeroboam’s household as foretold, yet Baasha himself continues the same sinful way. Replacing a ruler does not produce reform when the practices remain unchanged.
Key Truth: A new leader still needs a changed direction.
Check What You Remember
1. Whose son was Nadab? (1 Kings 15:25)
Find it in 1 Kings 15:25 (KJV).
2. Who killed Nadab? (1 Kings 15:27)
Find it in 1 Kings 15:27 (KJV).
3. Which city was under siege? (1 Kings 15:27)
Find it in 1 Kings 15:27 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Romans 12:9 — This verse calls for rejecting evil and holding to good.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
What wrong should you reject even if it is familiar or supported by someone influential? Consider how reform requires changed practice rather than only changed names.
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How does the preserved lamp in Jerusalem qualify the account of Abijam’s failings?
2. How does Asa’s reform reach his own household?
3. What qualification remains alongside Asa’s favourable evaluation?
4. How does Asa’s agreement with Benhadad affect Baasha’s building at Ramah?
5. How does Baasha’s destruction of Jeroboam’s house relate to the stated prophecy?
Notes
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