15:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah 1 became king over Judah. 15:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. 2 His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. 3 15:3 He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. 4 15:4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God maintained his dynasty 5 in Jerusalem by giving him a son 6 to succeed him 7 and by protecting Jerusalem. 8 15:5 He did this 9 because David had done what he approved 10 and had not disregarded any of his commandments 11 his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite.