1 Kings 15:9-24 - The Reign Of Asa In Judah

⁹ And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. ¹⁰ And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his grandmother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

¹¹ And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. ¹² And he took away the male prostitutes out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³ And also Maachah his grandmother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image on an idol pole; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. ¹⁴ But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD all his days. ¹⁵ And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which he himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.

¹⁶ And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ¹⁷ And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not allow any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ¹⁸ Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, ¹⁹ There is a treaty between me and you, and between my father and your father: behold, I have sent unto you a present of silver and gold; come and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

²⁰ So Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies whom he had against the cities of Israel, and struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maacah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ And it came to pass, when Baasha heard of it, that he stopped building Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. ²² Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, with which Baasha had built; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

²³ The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. ²⁴ And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

¹ So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.

² And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: ³ For he took away the altars of the foreign gods, and the high places, and broke down the images, and cut down the idol poles: ⁴ And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. ⁵ Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars: and the kingdom was quiet under him.

⁶ And he built fortified cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest. ⁷ Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

⁸ And Asa had an army of men that bore large shields and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valor. ⁹ And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah. ¹⁰ Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

¹¹ And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with you to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on you, and in your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.

¹² So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. ¹³ And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, so that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his army; and they carried away very much plunder. ¹⁴ And they defeated all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they plundered all the cities; for there was very much plunder in them. ¹⁵ They struck also the enclosures of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.