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

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

¹¹ And Asa did what was right in the sight of Jehovah, as David his father. ¹² And he put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his father had made. ¹³ And also Maachah his mother he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol for the Asherah; and Asa cut down her idol, and burned it in the valley of Kidron. ¹⁴ But the high places were not removed; only, Asa's heart was perfect with Jehovah all his days. ¹⁵ And he brought into the house of Jehovah the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which he himself had dedicated, 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 came up against Judah, and built Ramah, in order to let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ¹⁸ And Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house, and gave 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, who dwelt at Damascus, saying, ¹⁹ There is a league between me and thee, as between my father and thy father; behold, I send thee a present of silver and gold: go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

²⁰ And Ben-Hadad hearkened to king Asa, and sent the captains of his forces against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-Beth-Maachah, and all Kinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ And it came to pass when Baasha heard of it, that he left off building Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. ²² And king Asa called together all Judah: none was exempted; and they carried away the stones and the timber from Ramah, with which Baasha had been building; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

²³ And the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Only, 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 stead.

¹ And 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 what was good and right in the sight of Jehovah his God; ³ and he took away the altars of the strange gods and the high places, and broke the columns, and cut down the Asherahs; ⁴ and commanded Judah to seek Jehovah the God of their fathers, and to practise the law and the commandment. ⁵ And he removed out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images; and the kingdom was quiet before him.

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

⁸ And Asa had an army that bore targets and spears: out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew the bow, two hundred and eighty thousand: all these, mighty men of valour. ⁹ And Zerah the Ethiopian came out against him with a host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. ¹⁰ And Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

¹¹ And Asa cried unto Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, it maketh no difference to thee to help, whether there be much or no power: help us, O Jehovah our God, for we rely on thee, and in thy name have we come against this multitude. Jehovah, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

¹² And Jehovah smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. ¹³ And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them to Gerar; and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that none of them was left alive; for they were crushed before Jehovah and before his army. And they carried away very much spoil. ¹⁴ And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the terror of Jehovah came upon them; and they spoiled all the cities, for there was very much spoil in them. ¹⁵ They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.