1Abijah lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was at rest ten years.
2And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God.
3He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the pillars, and cut down the Asherim.
4And he commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and to carry out the law and the commandment.
5He removed from all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars, and the kingdom was quiet before him.
6He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was quiet, and there was no war against him in those years, because Yahweh had given him rest.
7He said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with a wall and towers, gates and bars, while the land is still before us, because we have sought Yahweh our God; we have sought him, and he has given us rest all around.” So they built and prospered.
8Now Asa had an army bearing large shield and spear: from Judah three hundred thousand, and from Benjamin those bearing shield and drawing the bow, two hundred and eighty thousand. All these were mighty men of valor.
9And Zerah the Cushite came out against them with an army of a thousand thousand and three hundred chariots, and he came as far as Mareshah.
10And Asa went out before him, and they drew up for battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11And Asa called out to Yahweh his God and said, “Yahweh, there is none like you to help between the mighty and the powerless. Help us, Yahweh our God, for on you we rely, and in your name we have come against this multitude. Yahweh, you are our God; let no mortal prevail against you.”
12And Yahweh struck the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled.
13And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many of the Cushites fell that there was no reviving for them; for they were broken before Yahweh and before his camp. And they carried off very much plunder.
14And they struck down all the cities around Gerar, for the dread of Yahweh was upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.
15They also struck down the tents of the livestock and carried off sheep in abundance and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.
Open in the interactive reader →