⁸ And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Asa his son succeeded him as king.

Asa King of Judah^(A)(B)

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, ¹⁰ and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah^(C) daughter of Abishalom.

¹¹ Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David^(D) had done. ¹² He expelled the male shrine prostitutes^(E) from the land and got rid of all the idols^(F) his ancestors had made. ¹³ He even deposed his grandmother Maakah^(G) from her position as queen mother,^(H) because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down^(I) and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ Although he did not remove^(J) the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed^(K) to the Lord all his life. ¹⁵ He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.^(L)

¹⁶ There was war^(M) between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns. ¹⁷ Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah^(N) to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

¹⁸ Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple^(O) and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent^(P) them to Ben-Hadad^(Q) son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. ¹⁹ “Let there be a treaty^(R) between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”

²⁰ Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. He conquered^(S) Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah and all Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali. ²¹ When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah^(T) and withdrew to Tirzah.^{(U) 22} Then King Asa issued an order to all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away from Ramah^(V) the stones and timber Baasha had been using there. With them King Asa^(W) built up Geba^(X) in Benjamin, and also Mizpah.^(Y)

²³ As for all the other events of Asa’s reign, all his achievements, all he did and the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? In his old age, however, his feet became diseased. ²⁴ Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And Jehoshaphat^(Z) his son succeeded him as king.

The Kings of Judah

14 ^[a]And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.

Asa King of Judah^(A)

² Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.^{(B) 3} He removed the foreign altars^(C) and the high places, smashed the sacred stones^(D) and cut down the Asherah poles.^{[b](E) 4} He commanded Judah to seek the Lord,^(F) the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. ⁵ He removed the high places^(G) and incense altars^(H) in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. ⁶ He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.^(I)

⁷ “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest^(J) on every side.” So they built and prospered.

⁸ Asa had an army of three hundred thousand^(K) men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.

⁹ Zerah the Cushite^(L) marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.^{(M) 10} Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

¹¹ Then Asa called^(N) to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us,^(O) Lord our God, for we rely^(P) on you, and in your name^(Q) we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail^(R) against you.”

¹² The Lord struck down^(S) the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, ¹³ and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar.^(T) Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed^(U) before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.^{(V) 14} They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror^(W) of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there. ¹⁵ They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.