📖 2 Chronicles — Chapter 13 (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.
2 Chronicles 13:1 Now Rin the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.
2 Chronicles 13:2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was RMichaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
2 Chronicles 13:3 And TAbijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even Rfour hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.
2 Chronicles 13:4 And Abijah stood up upon mount RZemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
2 Chronicles 13:5 ROught ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
2 Chronicles 13:6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath Rrebelled against his lord.
2 Chronicles 13:7 And there are gathered unto him Rvain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.
2 Chronicles 13:8 And now ye think to withstand Rthe kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.
2 Chronicles 13:9 Have ye not Rcast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh Tto consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.
2 Chronicles 13:10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and Rthe priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:
2 Chronicles 13:11 And Rthey burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.
2 Chronicles 13:12 And, behold, God himself is with us Rfor our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
2 Chronicles 13:13 But Jeroboam caused Ran ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
2 Chronicles 13:14 And when Judah Rlooked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
2 Chronicles 13:15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and Ras the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
2 Chronicles 13:16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and RGod delivered them into their hand.
2 Chronicles 13:17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel Rfive hundred thousand chosen men.
2 Chronicles 13:18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they Rrelied upon the LORD God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 13:19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and Rtook cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephraim with the towns thereof.
2 Chronicles 13:20 Neither Rdid Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.
2 Chronicles 13:21 But Abijah Rwaxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.
2 Chronicles 13:22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet RIddo.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Chronicles 13:1–9 — Abijah addresses Israel
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Abijah faces Jeroboam with a smaller army and appeals to God's covenant with David. He criticizes the golden calves and the rejection of the appointed priests. His speech frames the conflict around kingship and worship. Read it as the words spoken in this encounter, not as a complete endorsement of every action of Abijah's life.
Key Truth: Measure worship by God's instructions rather than convenient substitutes.
Check What You Remember
1. How long did Abijah reign? (2 Chronicles 13:2)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 13:2 (KJV).
2. Where did he stand to speak? (2 Chronicles 13:4)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 13:4 (KJV).
3. What images had Jeroboam made for gods? (2 Chronicles 13:8)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 13:8 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Chronicles 13:10–18 — Judah cries to the LORD
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Abijah contrasts Judah's priestly service with Israel's abandonment of it. When Judah discovers an ambush, the people cry to the LORD. The narrator attributes their victory to reliance on God. The account concerns this ancient battle and its severe losses, while its central spiritual emphasis is dependence rather than numerical strength.
Key Truth: Depend on God rather than strength alone.
Check What You Remember
1. Who ministered as Judah's priests? (2 Chronicles 13:10)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 13:10 (KJV).
2. To whom did Judah cry when surrounded? (2 Chronicles 13:14)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 13:14 (KJV).
3. Why did Judah prevail according to the narrator? (2 Chronicles 13:18)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 13:18 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Chronicles 13:19–22 — The aftermath of conflict
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Abijah takes cities, Jeroboam does not recover strength during his reign, and the chapter records Abijah's family and the source for further acts. Military success and a growing household are part of the historical record. They should not be mistaken for the whole measure of a person's faithfulness.
Key Truth: Read success alongside the whole witness of Scripture.
Check What You Remember
1. Name one city Abijah took. (2 Chronicles 13:19)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 13:19 (KJV).
2. How many sons did Abijah have? (2 Chronicles 13:21)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 13:21 (KJV).
3. Which prophet's story recorded his acts? (2 Chronicles 13:22)
Find it in 2 Chronicles 13:22 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
1 Kings 15:3 — Kings provides a further assessment of Abijah, called Abijam there.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How can you avoid treating success in one situation as proof that every choice is right?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How does Abijah contrast the kingdom’s covenant basis with Jeroboam’s position?
2. What contrast is drawn between the two priesthoods?
3. What warning accompanies Abijah’s claim that God is their captain?
4. How does Judah respond when battle is before and behind?
5. How does the narrator explain the victory beyond military events?
Notes
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