11. They offer burnt offerings and burn incense of spices to the Lord every morning and every evening. They put the bread in rows on the special table in the Temple. And they take care of the lamps on the golden lampstand so that it shines bright each and every evening. We very carefully serve the Lord our God, but you people have abandoned him.
12. God himself is with us. He is our ruler, and his priests are with us. God’s priests blow his trumpets to wake you up and make you excited about coming to him. Men of Israel, don’t fight against the Lord, God of your ancestors, because you will not succeed!”
13. But Jeroboam sent a group of soldiers to sneak behind Abijah’s army. Jeroboam’s army was in front of Abijah’s army. The hidden soldiers from Jeroboam’s army were behind Abijah’s army.
14. When the soldiers in Abijah’s army from Judah looked around, they saw Jeroboam’s army attacking both in front and in back. The men of Judah shouted out to the Lord and the priests blew the trumpets.
15. Then the men in Abijah’s army shouted. When the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam’s army. Jeroboam’s whole army from Israel was defeated by Abijah’s army from Judah.
16. The men of Israel ran away from the men of Judah. God let the army from Judah defeat the army from Israel.
17. Abijah’s army greatly defeated the army of Israel, and 500,000 of the best men of Israel were killed.