2 Chronicles 13
Open in the reader1In the eighteenth year of The-People-Increase’s reign, My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is became king of Praised,
2and he reigned in Foundation-of-Peace three years. His mother’s name was Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is daughter of My-Light-Is-God; she was from The-Hill. And there was war between My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is and The-People-Increase.
3My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is went into battle with an army of 400,000 chosen men, while The-People-Increase drew up in formation against him with 800,000 chosen and mighty men of valor.
4Then My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is stood on Mount Double-Fleece in the hill country of Double-Fruit and said, “Hear me, O The-People-Increase and all Strives-with-God!
5Do you not know that He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, has given the kingship of Strives-with-God to Beloved and his descendants forever by a covenant of Salt ?
6Yet The-People-Increase son of Regard, a servant of Peace son of Beloved, rose up and rebelled against his master.
7Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist A-People-Has-Enlarged son of Peace when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.
8And now you think you can resist the kingdom of He-Who-Is, which is in the hands of Beloved’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army, and you have with you the golden calves that The-People-Increase made for you as gods.
9But did you not drive out the priests of He-Who-Is, the sons of Aaron, and the Joined-Ones? And did you not make priests for yourselves as do the peoples of other lands? Now whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of things that are not gods.
10But as for us, He-Who-Is is our God. We have not forsaken Him; the priests who minister to He-Who-Is are sons of Aaron, and the Joined-Ones attend to their duties.
11Every morning and every evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to He-Who-Is. They set out the rows of showbread on the ceremonially clean table, and every evening they light the lamps of the gold lampstand. We are carrying out the requirements of He-Who-Is our God, while you have forsaken Him.
12Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the battle call against you. O children of Strives-with-God, do not fight against He-Who-Is, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
13Now The-People-Increase had sent troops around to ambush from the rear, so that while he was in front of Praised, the ambush was behind them.
14When Praised turned and discovered that the battle was both before and behind them, they cried out to He-Who-Is. Then the priests blew the trumpets,
15and the men of Praised raised the battle cry. And when they raised the cry, God routed The-People-Increase and all Strives-with-God before My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is and Praised.
16So the children of Strives-with-God fled before Praised, and God delivered them into their hands.
17Then My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and 500,000 chosen men of Strives-with-God fell slain.
18Thus the children of Strives-with-God were subdued at that time, and the men of Praised prevailed because they relied on He-Who-Is, the God of their fathers.
19My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is pursued The-People-Increase and captured some cities from him: House-of-God, Jeshanah, and Fawn-like, along with their villages.
20The-People-Increase did not again recover his power during the days of My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is, and He-Who-Is struck him down and he died.
21But My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is grew strong, married fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22Now the rest of the acts of My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is, along with his ways and his words, are written in the Treatise of the Prophet Timely.
23Then My-Father-Is-He-Who-Is rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of Beloved. And his son Healer reigned in his place, and in his days the land was at peace for ten years.