בִּשְׁנַת שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לַמֶּלֶךְ יָרָבְעָם וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֲבִיָּה עַל־יְהוּדָה

In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Yorovam over Israel, Aviya became king over Judah.

שָׁלוֹשׁ שָׁנִים מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִַם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ מִיכָיָהוּ בַת־אוּרִיאֵל מִן גִּבְעָה וּמִלְחָמָה הָיְתָה בֵּין אֲבִיָּה וּבֵין יָרָבְעָם

He reigned three years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Mikhayahu daughter of Uriel from the town of Giva. There was war between Aviya and Yorovam.

וַיֶּאְסֹר אֲבִיָּה אֶת־הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּחַיִל גִּבּוֹרֵי מִלְחָמָה אַרְבַּע־מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר וְיָרָבְעָם עָרַךְ עִמּוֹ מִלְחָמָה בִּשְׁמוֹנֶה מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר גִּבּוֹר חָיִל

Aviya joined the battle with a force of mighty warriors, four hundred thousand select men, and Yorovam deployed for battle against him with eight hundred thousand select men, mighty warriors.

וַיָּקָם אֲבִיָּה מֵעַל לְהַר צְמָרַיִם אֲשֶׁר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמָעֻנִי יָרָבְעָם וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל

Aviya stood to advance in the initial wave of attack atop Mount Tzemarayim, which is in the highlands of Ephraim, and said: Hear me, Yorovam and all Israel;

הֲלֹא לָכֶם לָדַעַת כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נָתַן מַמְלָכָה לְדָוִיד עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעוֹלָם לוֹ וּלְבָנָיו בְרִית מֶלַח

surely you know that the Lord, God of Israel, gave kingship over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons, in a dynasty that was established for him by a covenant of salt, an eternal covenant.

וַיָּקָם יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט עֶבֶד שְׁלֹמֹה בֶן־דָּוִיד וַיִּמְרֹד עַל־אֲדֹנָיו

But Yorovam son of Nevat, servant of Solomon son of David, rose and rebelled against his lord.

וַיִּקָּבְצוּ עָלָיו אֲנָשִׁים רֵקִים בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל וַיִּתְאַמְּצוּ עַל־רְחַבְעָם בֶּן־שְׁלֹמֹה וּרְחַבְעָם הָיָה נַעַר וְרַךְ־לֵבָב וְלֹא הִתְחַזַּק לִפְנֵיהֶם

Idle and wicked men gathered around him, and they strove and rebelled against Rehavam, my father, son of Solomon; and Rehavam was young and fainthearted, and could not withstand them.

וְעַתָּה אַתֶּם אֹמְרִים לְהִתְחַזֵּק לִפְנֵי מַמְלֶכֶת ה' בְּיַד בְּנֵי דָוִיד וְאַתֶּם הָמוֹן רָב וְעִמָּכֶם עֶגְלֵי זָהָב אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לָכֶם יָרָבְעָם לֵאלֹהִים

Now you presume to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, and although you are a great multitude, and your army is large, in whose name are you fighting? After all, with you are the golden calves that Yorovam made for you for gods.

הֲלֹא הִדַּחְתֶּם אֶת־כֹּהֲנֵי ה' אֶת־בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְהַלְוִיִּם וַתַּעֲשׂוּ לָכֶם כֹּהֲנִים כְּעַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת כָּל־הַבָּא לְמַלֵּא יָדוֹ בְּפַר בֶּן־בָּקָר וְאֵילִם שִׁבְעָה וְהָיָה כֹהֵן לְלֹא אֱלֹהִים

Haven’t you dismissed the priests of the Lord, sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and appointed for you priests like the peoples of the surrounding land? Anyone who comes to invest himself and seek appointment as a priest, with a young bull and seven rams, he may become a priest to the non-gods, those idols. Your priests are merely individuals who have expressed interest in the position; they are not true priests.

ואֲנַחְנוּ ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְלֹא עֲזַבְנֻהוּ וְכֹהֲנִים מְשָׁרְתִים לַה' בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְהַלְוִיִּם בּמְלאכֶת

But we, in contrast, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; the priests who are serving the Lord in the Temple are sons of Aaron, and the Levites are busy at their labor in the Temple.

וּמַקְטִרִים לַה' עֹלוֹת בַּבֹּקֶר־בַּבֹּקֶר וּבָעֶרֶב־בָּעֶרֶב וּקְטֹרֶת־סַמִּים וּמַעֲרֶכֶת לֶחֶם עַל־הַשֻּׁלְחָן הַטָּהוֹר וּמְנוֹרַת הַזָּהָב וְנֵרֹתֶיהָ לְבָעֵר בָּעֶרֶב בָּעֶרֶב כִּי־שֹׁמְרִים אֲנַחְנוּ אֶת־מִשְׁמֶרֶת ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאַתֶּם עֲזַבְתֶּם אֹתוֹ

They burn burnt offerings to the Lord each morning and each evening, and incense of spices; the arrangement of the showbread is on the pure table, and there is the candelabrum of gold and its lamps that they kindle to burn every evening, for we keep the commission of the Lord our God, and you have forsaken Him. You have abandoned God and you practice the customs of gentiles, whereas we observe His service.

וְהִנֵּה עִמָּנוּ בָרֹאשׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וְכֹהֲנָיו וַחֲצֹצְרוֹת הַתְּרוּעָה לְהָרִיעַ עֲלֵיכֶם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אַל־תִּלָּחֲמוּ עִם־ה' אֱלֹהֵי־אֲבֹתֵיכֶם כִּי־לֹא תַצְלִיחוּ

Behold, God is with us at our head of our camp, and His priests are ready with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. Children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.

וְיָרָבְעָם הֵסֵב אֶת־הַמַּאֲרָב לָבוֹא מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיִּהְיוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוּדָה וְהַמַּאֲרָב מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם

Yorovam, who had not stayed to listen to this lecture, had meanwhile sent the ambush around to come from behind them. He sent part of his army in a flanking maneuver so that they, he and his men, were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

וַיִּפְנוּ יְהוּדָה וְהִנֵּה לָהֶם הַמִּלְחָמָה פָּנִים וְאָחוֹר וַיִּצְעֲקוּ לַה' וְהַכֹּהֲנִים מַחְצְרִים בַּחֲצֹצְרוֹת

Judah turned, and behold, they saw that the fighting was before and behind them; they cried to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets.

וַיָּרִעוּ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וַיְהִי בְּהָרִיעַ אִישׁ יְהוּדָה וְהָאֱלֹהִים נָגַף אֶת־יָרָבְעָם וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי אֲבִיָּה וִיהוּדָה

The men of Judah shouted; it was as the men of Judah shouted that God routed Yorovam and all Israel before Aviya and Judah.

וַיָּנוּסוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִפְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וַיִּתְּנֵם אֱלֹהִים בְּיָדָם

The children of Israel fled from Judah, and God delivered them into their hand.

וַיַּכּוּ בָהֶם אֲבִיָּה וְעַמּוֹ מַכָּה רַבָּה וַיִּפְּלוּ חֲלָלִים מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל חֲמֵשׁ־מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף אִישׁ בָּחוּר

Aviya and his people smote them a great blow, and the slain from Israel who fell were five hundred thousand select men. Most of the army of the Kingdom of Israel fell in battle.

וַיִּכָּנְעוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעֵת הַהִיא וַיֶּאֶמְצוּ בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה כִּי נִשְׁעֲנוּ עַל־ה' אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם

The children of Israel were humbled at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed over them, because they relied upon the Lord, God of their fathers.

וַיִּרְדֹּף אֲבִיָּה אַחֲרֵי יָרָבְעָם וַיִּלְכֹּד מִמֶּנּוּ עָרִים אֶת־בֵּית־אֵל וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֶיהָ וְאֶת יְשָׁנָה וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֶיהָ וְאֶת־עֶפְרַיִן וּבְנֹתֶיהָ

Aviya pursued Yorovam, continuing the advance, and captured cities from him: Beit El and the small towns in its environs; the city of Yeshana and its environs; and Efrayin and its environs.

וְלֹא־עָצַר כֹּחַ יָרָבְעָם עוֹד בִּימֵי אֲבִיָּהוּ וַיִּגְּפֵהוּ ה' וַיָּמֹת

Yorovam did not gain his strength again in the days of Aviya; and the Lord afflicted him, and he died. Yorovam could not withstand Aviya, and ultimately he died before the king of Judah.

וַיִּתְחַזֵּק אֲבִיָּהוּ וַיִּשָּׂא־לוֹ נָשִׁים אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה וַיּוֹלֶד עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁנַיִם בָּנִים וְשֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה בָּנוֹת

Aviya grew strong, and he took for himself fourteen wives and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי אֲבִיָּה וּדְרָכָיו וּדְבָרָיו כְּתוּבִים בְּמִדְרַשׁ הַנָּבִיא עִדּוֹ

The rest of the deeds of Aviya, his ways, and his statements, are written in the account of the prophet Ido.

וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֲבִיָּה עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וַיִּמְלֹךְ אָסָא בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו בְּיָמָיו שָׁקְטָה הָאָרֶץ עֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים

Aviya lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Elsewhere it is stated that he followed in his father’s path, as “his heart was not whole with the Lord his God.” Nevertheless, it seems that he did preserve the service of God in the Temple and even fought wars in the name of God. And Asa his son reigned in his stead; in his days the land was tranquil and rested from war for ten years. Although after the defeat of the army of Israel, the northern kingdom did not mount any further attacks, Asa was not powerful enough to attack them either.