1In the eighteenth year of king Yaravam began Avi-Yah to reign over Yehudah. 2Three years he reigned in Yerushalayim; and his mother’s name was Mikhah-Yahu the daughter of Uri’el of Givah. And there was war between Avi-Yah and Yaravam. 3And Avi-Yah joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men; and Yaravam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who were mighty men of valor. 4And Avi-Yah stood up upon mount Tzemarayim, which is in the hill-country of Efrayim, and said, “Hear me, O Yaravam and all Yisra’el; 5ought you not to know that יהוה Elohei Yisra’el gave the kingdom over Yisra’el to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?”
6“Yet Yaravam Ben Nevat, the servant of Shlomo Ben David, rose up, and rebelled against his Adon. 7And there were gathered unto him vain men, base fellows that strengthened themselves against Rekhavam Ben Shlomo, when Rekhavam was young and faint-hearted, and could not withstand them. 8And now you think to withstand the Malkhut יהוה in the hand of B’nei David; and you are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Yaravam made you for gods. 9Have you not driven out the Kohanim of יהוה , the sons of Aharon, and the Levi’im, and have made you priests after the manner of the peoples of other lands? So that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same becomes a priest of them that are not gods. 10But as for us, יהוה is our Elohim, and we have not forsaken Him; and we have Kohanim ministering unto יהוה , B’nei Aharon, and the Levi’im in their work; 11and they burn unto יהוה every morning and every evening Olot and sweet incense; the Ma’arekhet Lekhem also set they in order upon the pure shulkhan; and the Menorah of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening; for we keep the charge of יהוה our Elohim; but you have forsaken Him. 12And, behold, Elohim is with us at our head, and His Kohanim with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. O B’nei Yisra’el, fight not against יהוה , the Elohim of your fathers; for you shall not prosper.” 13But Yaravam caused an ambushment to come about behind them; so they were before Yehudah, and the ambushment was behind them. 14And when Yehudah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried unto יהוה , and the Kohanim sounded with the trumpets. 15Then the men of Yehudah gave a shout; and as the men of Yehudah shouted, it came to pass that Elohim smote Yaravam and all Yisra’el before Avi-Yah and Yehudah. 16And B’nei Yisra’el fled before Yehudah; and Elohim delivered them into their hand. 17And Avi-Yah and his people slew them with a great slaughter; so there fell down slain of Yisra’el five hundred thousand chosen men. 18Thus B’nei Yisra’el were brought under at that time, and the children of Yehudah prevailed, because they relied upon יהוה , the Elohim of their fathers. 19And Avi-Yah pursued after Yaravam, and took cities from him, Beit El with the towns thereof, and Yeshanah with the towns thereof, and Efrayin with the towns thereof. 20Neither did Yaravam recover strength again in the days of Avi-Yah; and יהוה smote him, and he died.
21But Avi-Yah waxed mighty, and took unto himself fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters. 22And the rest of the acts of Avi-Yah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the commentary of HaNavi Ido. 23So Avi-Yah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Asa his son reigned in his stead; in his days the land was quiet ten years.
אבִּשְׁנַת שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לַמֶּלֶךְ יָרָבְעָם; וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֲבִיָּה עַל יְהוּדָה. בשָׁלוֹשׁ שָׁנִים מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִַם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ מִיכָיָהוּ בַת אוּרִיאֵל מִן גִּבְעָה; וּמִלְחָמָה הָיְתָה בֵּין אֲבִיָּה וּבֵין יָרָבְעָם. גוַיֶּאְסֹר אֲבִיָּה אֶת הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּחַיִל גִּבּוֹרֵי מִלְחָמָה אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר; וְיָרָבְעָם עָרַךְ עִמּוֹ מִלְחָמָה בִּשְׁמוֹנֶה מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר גִּבּוֹר חָיִל. דוַיָּקָם אֲבִיָּה מֵעַל לְהַר צְמָרַיִם אֲשֶׁר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם; וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמָעוּנִי יָרָבְעָם וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל. ההֲלֹא לָכֶם לָדַעַת כִּי יהוה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נָתַן מַמְלָכָה לְדָוִיד עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעוֹלָם: לוֹ וּלְבָנָיו בְּרִית מֶלַח.
ווַיָּקָם יָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט עֶבֶד שְׁלֹמֹה בֶן דָּוִיד; וַיִּמְרֹד עַל אֲדֹנָיו. זוַיִּקָּבְצוּ עָלָיו אֲנָשִׁים רֵקִים בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל וַיִּתְאַמְּצוּ עַל רְחַבְעָם בֶּן שְׁלֹמֹה; וּרְחַבְעָם הָיָה נַעַר וְרַךְ לֵבָב וְלֹא הִתְחַזַּק לִפְנֵיהֶם. חוְעַתָּה אַתֶּם אֹמְרִים לְהִתְחַזֵּק לִפְנֵי מַמְלֶכֶת יהוה בְּיַד בְּנֵי דָוִיד; וְאַתֶּם הָמוֹן רָב וְעִמָּכֶם עֶגְלֵי זָהָב אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לָכֶם יָרָבְעָם לֵאלֹהִים. טהֲלֹא הִדַּחְתֶּם אֶת כֹּהֲנֵי יהוה אֶת בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְהַלְוִיִּם; וַתַּעֲשׂוּ לָכֶם כֹּהֲנִים כְּעַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת כָּל הַבָּא לְמַלֵּא יָדוֹ בְּפַר בֶּן בָּקָר וְאֵילִם שִׁבְעָה וְהָיָה כֹהֵן לְלֹא אֱלֹהִים. יוַאֲנַחְנוּ יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְלֹא עֲזַבְנֻהוּ; וְכֹהֲנִים מְשָׁרְתִים לַיהוה בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְהַלְוִיִּם בַּמְלָאכֶת. יאוּמַקְטִרִים לַיהוה עֹלוֹת בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר וּבָעֶרֶב בָּעֶרֶב וּקְטֹרֶת סַמִּים וּמַעֲרֶכֶת לֶחֶם עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן הַטָּהוֹר וּמְנוֹרַת הַזָּהָב וְנֵרֹתֶיהָ לְבָעֵר בָּעֶרֶב בָּעֶרֶב כִּי שֹׁמְרִים אֲנַחְנוּ אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּ; וְאַתֶּם עֲזַבְתֶּם אֹתוֹ. יבוְהִנֵּה עִמָּנוּ בָרֹאשׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וְכֹהֲנָיו וַחֲצֹצְרוֹת הַתְּרוּעָה לְהָרִיעַ עֲלֵיכֶם; בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אַל תִּלָּחֲמוּ עִם יהוה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם כִּי לֹא תַצְלִיחוּ. יגוְיָרָבְעָם הֵסֵב אֶת הַמַּאְרָב לָבוֹא מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם; וַיִּהְיוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוּדָה וְהַמַּאְרָב מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם. ידוַיִּפְנוּ יְהוּדָה וְהִנֵּה לָהֶם הַמִּלְחָמָה פָּנִים וְאָחוֹר וַיִּצְעֲקוּ לַיהוה ; וְהַכֹּהֲנִים מחצצרים (מַחְצְרִים) בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת. טווַיָּרִיעוּ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה; וַיְהִי בְּהָרִיעַ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְהָאֱלֹהִים נָגַף אֶת יָרָבְעָם וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי אֲבִיָּה וִיהוּדָה. טזוַיָּנוּסוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִפְּנֵי יְהוּדָה; וַיִּתְּנֵם אֱלֹהִים בְּיָדָם. יזוַיַּכּוּ בָהֶם אֲבִיָּה וְעַמּוֹ מַכָּה רַבָּה; וַיִּפְּלוּ חֲלָלִים מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר. יחוַיִּכָּנְעוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעֵת הַהִיא; וַיֶּאֶמְצוּ בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה כִּי נִשְׁעֲנוּ עַל יהוה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם. יטוַיִּרְדֹּף אֲבִיָּה אַחֲרֵי יָרָבְעָם וַיִּלְכֹּד מִמֶּנּוּ עָרִים אֶת בֵּית אֵל וְאֶת בְּנוֹתֶיהָ וְאֶת יְשָׁנָה וְאֶת בְּנוֹתֶיהָ; וְאֶת עפרון (עֶפְרַיִן) וּבְנֹתֶיהָ. כוְלֹא עָצַר כֹּחַ יָרָבְעָם עוֹד בִּימֵי אֲבִיָּהוּ; וַיִּגְּפֵהוּ יהוה וַיָּמֹת.
כאוַיִּתְחַזֵּק אֲבִיָּהוּ וַיִּשָּׂא לוֹ נָשִׁים אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה; וַיּוֹלֶד עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁנַיִם בָּנִים וְשֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה בָּנוֹת. כבוְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי אֲבִיָּה וּדְרָכָיו וּדְבָרָיו כְּתוּבִים בְּמִדְרַשׁ הַנָּבִיא עִדּוֹ. כגוַיִּשְׁכַּב אֲבִיָּה עִם אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וַיִּמְלֹךְ אָסָא בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו; בְּיָמָיו שָׁקְטָה הָאָרֶץ עֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים.
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 