الحرب بـين أبـيا ويربعام
(1مل 15:1-8)1 وفي السَّنةِ الثَّامِنةَ عَشْرَةَ لِلمَلِكِ يَرُبعامَ ملَكَ أبـيَّا على يَهوذا 2 ثَلاثَ سِنينَ بِأورُشليمَ. وكانَ اسْمُ أُمِّهِ ميخايا بِنتَ أوريئيلَ مِنْ جَبْعةَ.
وكانَت بَينَ أبـيَّا ويَرُبعامَ حربٌ، 3 فحَشَدَ لها أبـيَّا جيشا مِنْ أربَعِ مئَةِ ألفِ رَجُلٍ مِنْ خِيرَةِ المُحاربـينَ الشُّجعانِ، واستَعَدَّ يَرُبعامُ لِقِتالِهِ بِثَماني مئَةِ ألفٍ مِنْ خِيرَةِ الجَبابرةِ الأشِدَّاءِ. 4 ووقَفَ أبـيَّا على رابـيةِ صَمارايمَ في جبَلِ أفرايِمَ وقالَ: «أصغِ لي يا يَرُبعامُ ويا جيشَ إِسرائيلَ. 5 ألا تَعلَمونَ أنَّ الرّبَّ إلهَ إِسرائيلَ أعطى المُلْكَ لِداوُدَ ولِبَنيهِ إلى الأبدِ بِــعَهدٍ لا رُجوعَ عَنهُ؟ 6 لكِنْ يَرُبعامُ بنُ نَباطَ أحدُ رِجالِ سليمانَ بنِ داوُدَ قامَ وتمَرَّدَ على مَولاهُ، 7 وانضَمَّ إليهِ زُمرَةٌ مِنَ البَطَّالينَ التَّافِهينَ وسيطَروا على رَحُبعامَ بنِ سليمانَ وهوَ بَعدُ صَبـيٌّ بسيطُ القَلبِ فلم يقدِرْ أنْ يُقاوِمَهُم.
8 «وأنتُمُ الآنَ تَظُنُّونَ أنَّكُم قادِرونَ على مُقاوَمَةِ السُّلطَةِ المَلكيَّةِ الّتي وضَعَها الرّبُّ في يَدِ بَني داوُدَ، لأنَّكُم كثيرونَ ومعَكُم عُجولُ الذَّهَبِ الّتي صنَعَها يَرُبعامُ لِتكونَ آلِهةً لكُم. 9 طَرَدْتُم كهَنَةَ الرّبِّ بَني هرونَ واللاَّويِّينَ وأقَمْتُم لكُم كهَنةً كما يفْعَلُ سائِرُ شعوبِ الأرضِ، فكُلُّ مَن جاءَ بِثَورٍ مِنَ البقَرِ أوْ سَبعَةِ كِباشٍ يُكَرَّسُ ويَصيرُ كاهنا لِتِلكَ الآلِهةِ الكاذِبةِ الّتي تَعبُدونَها. 10 أمَّا نحنُ، فالرّبُّ هوَ إلهُنا ولم نَترُكْهُ، والكهَنةُ الّذينَ يَخدُمونَهُ هُم بَنو هرونَ يُعاوِنُهُمُ اللاَّويُّونَ. 11 وهُم يُقَرِّبونَ للرّبِّ كُلَّ صباحٍ وكُلَّ مساءٍ مُحرَقاتٍ وبَخورَ أطيابٍ، ويَضَعونَ خُبزَ التَّقدِمَةِ على المائِدَةِ الطَّاهِرَة، ويُوقِدونَ سِراجاتِ مَنارَةِ الذَّهبِ كُلَّ مساءٍ. فنَحنُ نعمَلُ بِما أمرَ الرّبُّ إلهُنا، وأمَّا أنتُم فتَركْتُموهُ. 12 واللهُ معَنا وهوَ يَقودُنا، وكهَنتُهُ هُنا بِأبواقٍ يَهتِفونَ لِقِتالِكُم. فلا تُحارِبوا الرّبَّ إلهَ آبائِكُم يا بَيتَ إِسرائيلَ لأنَّكُم لا تَنجَحونَ».
13 وكانَ يَرُبعامُ أرسَلَ بَعضا مِنْ جيشِهِ، فَداروا حَولَ رِجالِ يَهوذا وكَمَنوا مِنْ ورائِهِم، وبَقيَ هوَ وسائِرُ جَيشِهِ في مواجهَتِهِم. 14 فالتَفَتَ رِجالُ يَهوذا، فإذا الحربُ مِنْ أمامِهِم ومِنْ خَلفِهِم، فصَرخوا إلى الرّبِّ ونَفخَ الكهَنةُ بِالأبواقِ 15 وهتَفَ رِجالُ يَهوذا. وعِندما هتَفوا وهجَموا بِقيادَةِ أبـيَّا، ضرَبَ اللهُ جيشَ إِسرائيلَ أمامَهُم، 16 فانْهَزموا وأسلَمَهُم إلى أيديهِم. 17 فضَرَبَهُم أبـيَّا وجيشُهُ ضَربةً عظيمةً سقَطَ فيها خمسُ مئةِ ألفِ رَجُلٍ مِنْ خِيرَةِ جيشِ إِسرائيلَ. 18 فخَضَعَ شَعبُ إِسرائيلَ في ذلِكَ الوقتِ وانْتَصَرَ شعبُ يَهوذا لأنَّهُم اتَّكَلوا على الرّبِّ إلهِ آبائِهِم. 19 وطارَدَ أبـيَّا جيشَ يَرُبعامَ وأخذَ مِنهُ مُدُنا، وهيَ بَيتُ إيلَ وتوابِــعُها، ويَشانَةُ وتوابِــعُها، وعَفْرونُ وتوابِــعُها. 20 ولم تَقُمْ لِـيَرُبعامَ قائِمةٌ في أيّامِ أبـيَّا، وضرَبَهُ الرّبُّ فماتَ. 21 وازْدادَ أبـيَّا قُوَّةً، وتزَوَّجَ أربَعَ عَشْرَةَ امرَأةً، ووَلَدَ اثْنَينِ وعِشْرينَ ابنا وسِتَّ عَشْرَةَ بِنْتا. 22 وما تبَقَّى مِنْ أخبارِ أبـيَّا وأفعالِهِ وأقوالِهِ مُدَوَّنٌ في سيرَةِ النَّبـيِّ عِدُّو.
1 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.
4 ¶ And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel; 5 Ought 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? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord. 7 And there are gathered unto him vain 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. 8 And now ye think to withstand the 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. 9 Have ye not cast 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 to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods. 10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business: 11 And they 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. 12 And, behold, God himself is with us for 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.
13 ¶ But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand. 17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. 18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers. 19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth-el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof. 20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.
21 ¶ But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters. 22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.