11. Every morning and every evening they offer entirely burned offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord, and set out bread in stacks upon a clean table. At night they light the lamps on the gold lampstand. Yes, while you are abandoning the Lord our God, we are doing what he requires.
12. Listen! God is on our side, at our head, along with his priests, who are ready to sound the battle trumpets against you. So, Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you won’t succeed!"
13. Meanwhile, Jeroboam had sent troops around behind them for an ambush so that the main force was in front of Judah while the ambush was behind.
14. When Judah looked around and suddenly realized that they were surrounded, they cried out to the Lord while the priests sounded the trumpets
15. and raised the battle cry. When they raised the battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16. So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God gave Judah the victory.
17. Abijah and his people struck them severely: five hundred thousand select warriors were killed.
18. Israel was subdued on that occasion, and Judah succeeded because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
19. Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took these cities away from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their villages.
20. Jeroboam failed to regain power during the time of Abijah. The Lord finally struck him down, and he died.
21. Abijah, however, grew strong. He married fourteen wives; he had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22. The rest of Abijah’s deeds, what he did and what he said, are written in the account of the prophet Iddo.