World English Bible · The divided kingdom
2 Chronicles 13
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In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, began to reign over Judah. He reigned three years in . His mother's name was the daughter of of . There was war between and Jeroboam. joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men; and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who were of valor. stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of , and said, "Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: Ought you not to know that , the of Israel, gave over Israel to , even to him and to his sons by a of salt? Yet Jeroboam the son of , the , rose up, and rebelled against his . Worthless men were gathered to him, fellows who strengthened themselves against the son of , when was young and tender hearted, and could not withstand them. "Now you intend to withstand of in the hand of the sons of . You are a great multitude, and the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods are with you. Haven't you driven out the priests of , the sons of , and the , and made priests for yourselves according to the ways of the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of those who are no gods. "But as for us, is our , and we have not forsaken him. We have priests , the sons of , and the in their work. They burn to every morning and every evening burnt offerings and . They also set the show bread in order on the pure table, and care for the gold lamp stand with its lamps, to burn every evening; for we keep the of our , but you have forsaken him. Behold, is with us at our head, and his priests with the of alarm to sound an alarm against you. , don't fight against , the of your fathers; for you will not prosper." But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them; so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them. When Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried to , and the priests sounded with the . Then the men of Judah gave a shout. As the men of Judah shouted, struck Jeroboam and all Israel before and Judah. The fled before Judah, and them into their hand. and his people killed them with a great slaughter, so five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell down slain. Thus the were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on , the of their fathers. pursued Jeroboam, and took cities from him: with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and with its villages. Jeroboam didn't recover strength again in the days of . struck him, and he . But grew mighty and took for himself fourteen wives, and became of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. The rest of the acts of , his ways, and his sayings are written in the commentary of the .
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The world at this moment · The divided kingdom, 931 BC to 745 BC ›
Israel in the north and Judah in the south, often at odds, with Aram of Damascus as the immediate threat and Assyria growing in the distance.
- Aram of Damascus
- The immediate enemy for most of two centuries, close enough to raid every campaigning season and strong enough to take territory. Most of the wars in Kings that read like national emergencies are border wars with Damascus.
- Assyria
- Growing steadily in the distance. Shalmaneser III fights a coalition at Qarqar in 853 BC and his own inscription lists King Ahab of Israel among his opponents with two thousand chariots, the earliest Assyrian mention of an Israelite king. A later monument shows Jehu bowing and paying tribute. Assyria is not yet the destroyer, but it is already taking notes.
- Egypt
- Divided and unreliable, capable of the occasional raid, such as Shishak stripping the temple in Rehoboam's fifth year, but no longer an empire that governs the Levant.
- Further afield
- The Greeks adopt the alphabet, hold the first Olympiad by tradition in 776 BC, and begin to compose the Homeric poems. Rome is founded by tradition in 753 BC, a village of huts at this point. This is the century in which the classical world begins.