1 Kings 15 | New International Reader’s Version

New International Reader’s Version

Abijah king of Judah

1 Abijah became king of Judah. It was in the 18th year of Jeroboam’s rule over Israel. Jeroboam was the son of Nebat. 2 Abijah ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mother’s name was Maakah. She was Abishalom’s daughter. 3 Abijah committed all the sins his father had committed before him. Abijah didn’t obey the LORD his God with all his heart. He didn’t do what King David had done. 4 But the LORD still kept the lamp of Abijah’s kingdom burning brightly in Jerusalem. He did it by giving him a son to be the next king after him. He also did it by making Jerusalem strong. The LORD did those things because of David. 5 David had done what was right in the sight of the LORD. He had kept all the LORD’s commands. He had obeyed them all the days of his life. But he hadn’t obeyed the LORD in the case of Uriah, the Hittite. 6 There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam all through Abijah’s life. 7 The other events of Abijah’s rule are written down. Everything he did is written down. All these things are written in the official records of the kings of Judah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 8 Abijah joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in the City of David. Abijah’s son Asa became the next king after him.

Asa king of Judah

9 Asa became king of Judah. It was in the 20th year that Jeroboam was king of Israel. 10 Asa ruled in Jerusalem for 41 years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah. She was Abishalom’s daughter. 11 Asa did what was right in the sight of the LORD. That’s what King David had done. 12 Asa threw out of the land the male prostitutes who were at the temples. He got rid of all the statues of gods made by his people of long ago. 13 He even removed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother. That’s because she had made a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. The LORD hated it. So Asa cut it down. He burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 Asa didn’t remove the high places from Israel. But he committed his whole life completely to the LORD. 15 He and his father had set apart silver, gold and other things to the LORD. Asa brought them into the LORD’s temple. 16 There was war between Asa and Baasha, the king of Israel. It lasted the whole time they were kings. 17 Baasha was king of Israel. He marched out against Judah. Baasha built up the walls of Ramah. He did it to keep people from leaving or entering the territory of Asa, the king of Judah. 18 Asa took all the silver and gold left among the treasures of the LORD’s temple and his own palace. He put his officials in charge of it. He sent the officials to Ben-Hadad. Ben-Hadad was king of Aram. He was ruling in Damascus. He was the son of Tabrimmon and the grandson of Hezion. 19 ‘Let’s make a peace treaty between us,’ Asa said. ‘My father and your father had made a peace treaty between them. Now I’m sending you a gift of silver and gold. So break your treaty with Baasha, the king of Israel. Then he’ll go back home.’ 20 Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa. He sent his army commanders against the towns of Israel. He captured Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah and the whole area of Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali. 21 Baasha heard about it. So he stopped building up Ramah. He went back home to Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa gave an order to all the men of Judah. Everyone was required to help. They carried away from Ramah the stones and wood Baasha had been using there. King Asa used them to build up Geba in the territory of Benjamin. He also used them to build up Mizpah. 23 All the other events of Asa’s rule are written down, including the cities he built. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah. But when Asa became old, his feet began to give him trouble. 24 He joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in his family tomb. It was in the city of King David. Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became the next king after him.

Nadab king of Israel

25 Nadab became king of Israel. It was in the second year that Asa was king of Judah. Nadab ruled over Israel for two years. He was the son of Jeroboam. 26 Nadab did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He lived the way his father had lived. He committed the same sin his father Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. 27 Baasha was from the tribe of Issachar. He was the son of Ahijah. Baasha made plans against Nadab and struck him down at Gibbethon. It was a Philistine town. Baasha struck him down while Nadab and all the men of Israel were getting ready to attack Gibbethon. 28 He killed Nadab in the third year that Asa was king of Judah. Baasha became the next king after Nadab. 29 As soon as Baasha became king, he killed Jeroboam’s whole family. He didn’t leave any of them alive. He destroyed every one of them. He did what the LORD had said would happen. The LORD had spoken that message through his servant Ahijah from Shiloh. 30 The LORD judged Jeroboam’s family because of the sins Jeroboam had committed. He had also caused Israel to commit those same sins. He had made the LORD very angry. The LORD is the God of Israel. 31 The other events of Nadab’s rule are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 32 There was war between Asa and Baasha, the king of Israel. It lasted the whole time they were kings.

Baasha king of Israel

33 Baasha became king of Israel in Tirzah. It was in the third year that Asa was king of Judah. Baasha ruled for 24 years. He was the son of Ahijah. 34 Baasha did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He lived the way Jeroboam had lived. He committed the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

Nuova Riveduta 2006

from Società Biblica di Ginevra

Abiiam, re di Giuda

1 Il diciottesimo anno del regno di Geroboamo, figlio di Nebat, Abiiam cominciò a regnare sopra Giuda. 2 Regnò tre anni a Gerusalemme. Sua madre si chiamava Maaca, figlia di Abisalom. 3 Egli si abbandonò a tutti i peccati che suo padre aveva commessi prima di lui, e il suo cuore non fu tutto quanto per il Signore, suo Dio, com’era stato il cuore di Davide suo padre. 4 Tuttavia, per amore di Davide, il Signore, suo Dio, gli lasciò una lampada a Gerusalemme, stabilendo dopo di lui suo figlio e lasciando sussistere Gerusalemme; 5 perché Davide aveva fatto ciò che è giusto agli occhi del Signore e non si era scostato in nulla dai suoi comandamenti per tutto il tempo della sua vita, salvo nel fatto di Uria, l’Ittita. 6 Tra Roboamo e Geroboamo vi fu guerra, finché Roboamo visse. 7 Il resto delle azioni di Abiiam e tutto quello che egli fece è scritto nel libro delle Cronache dei re di Giuda. Vi fu guerra fra Abiiam e Geroboamo. 8 E Abiiam si addormentò con i suoi padri, e fu sepolto nella città di Davide; e Asa, suo figlio, regnò al suo posto.

Asa, re di Giuda

9 Il ventesimo anno del regno di Geroboamo, re d’Israele, Asa cominciò a regnare sopra Giuda. 10 Regnò quarantun anni in Gerusalemme. Sua madre^[1] si chiamava Maaca, figlia di Abisalom. 11 Asa fece ciò che è giusto agli occhi del Signore, come aveva fatto Davide suo padre: 12 eliminò dal paese quelli che si prostituivano, fece sparire tutti gli idoli che i suoi padri avevano fatti 13 e destituì pure dalla dignità di regina sua madre Maaca, perché lei aveva innalzato un’immagine ad Astarte; Asa abbatté l’immagine e la bruciò presso il torrente Chidron. 14 Tuttavia gli alti luoghi non furono eliminati, sebbene il cuore di Asa fosse interamente per il Signore, durante tutta la sua vita. 15 Egli fece portare nella casa del Signore le cose che suo padre aveva consacrate e quelle che aveva consacrate egli stesso: argento, oro, vasi. 16 Ci fu guerra tra Asa e Baasa, re d’Israele, tutto il tempo della loro vita. 17 Baasa, re d’Israele, salì contro Giuda e costruì Rama, perché nessuno andasse e venisse dalla parte di Asa, re di Giuda. 18 Allora Asa prese tutto l’argento e l’oro che era rimasto nei tesori della casa del Signore, prese i tesori del palazzo del re e li affidò ai suoi servitori, che mandò presso Ben-Adad, figlio di Tabrimmon, figlio di Chesion, re di Siria, che abitava a Damasco, per dirgli: 19 «Ci sia alleanza fra me e te, come ci fu tra mio padre e tuo padre. Ecco, io ti mando in dono dell’argento e dell’oro; va’, rompi la tua alleanza con Baasa, re d’Israele, affinché egli si ritiri da me». 20 Ben-Adad diede ascolto al re Asa; mandò i capi del suo esercito contro le città d’Israele ed espugnò Iion, Dan, Abel-Bet-Maaca e tutta la regione di Chinnerot con tutto il paese di Neftali. 21 Quando Baasa udì questo, cessò di costruire Rama e rimase a Tirsa. 22 Allora il re Asa convocò tutti quelli di Giuda, senza escludere nessuno; e quelli portarono via le pietre e il legname di cui Baasa si era servito per la costruzione di Rama; e con essi il re Asa costruì Gheba di Beniamino e Mispa. 23 Il resto di tutte le azioni di Asa, tutte le sue prodezze, tutto ciò che egli fece e le città che costruì, si trova scritto nel libro delle Cronache dei re di Giuda. Ma, nella sua vecchiaia, egli soffrì di male ai piedi. 24 Asa si addormentò con i suoi padri e fu sepolto con essi nella città di Davide, suo padre; e Giosafat, suo figlio, regnò al suo posto.

Nadab, re d’Israele

25 Nadab, figlio di Geroboamo, cominciò a regnare sopra Israele il secondo anno di Asa, re di Giuda, e regnò sopra Israele due anni. 26 Egli fece ciò che è male agli occhi del Signore; seguì la via di suo padre e imitò il peccato che aveva fatto commettere a Israele. 27 Baasa, figlio di Aiia, della casa d’Issacar, cospirò contro di lui e lo uccise a Ghibbeton, che apparteneva ai Filistei, mentre Nadab e tutto Israele assediavano Ghibbeton. 28 Baasa lo uccise il terzo anno di Asa, re di Giuda, e regnò al suo posto. 29 Appena fu re, Baasa sterminò tutta la casa di Geroboamo; non risparmiò nessuno di quella casa, ma la distrusse interamente, secondo la parola che il Signore aveva pronunciata per bocca del suo servo Aiia di Silo, 30 a causa dei peccati che Geroboamo aveva commessi e fatto commettere a Israele, quando aveva provocato l’ira del Signore, Dio d’Israele. 31 Il resto delle azioni di Nadab e tutto quello che fece sono scritti nel libro delle Cronache dei re d’Israele.

Baasa, re d’Israele

32 Ci fu guerra tra Asa e Baasa, re d’Israele, tutto il tempo della loro vita. 33 Il terzo anno di Asa, re di Giuda, Baasa, figlio di Aiia, cominciò a regnare su tutto Israele. Stava a Tirsa, e regnò ventiquattro anni. 34 Fece quel che è male agli occhi del Signore; seguì la via di Geroboamo e imitò il peccato che questi aveva fatto commettere a Israele.