1[1] 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
2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.3He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.[2]4He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.5He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.6He 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.7‘Let us build up these towns,’ he said to Judah, ‘and put walls round 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 on every side.’ So they built and prospered.8Asa had an army of three hundred thousand 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.9Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.10Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.11Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, ‘Lord, there is no-one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.’12The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,13and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.14They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there.15They also attacked the camps of the herdsmen and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 14
English Standard Version
Asa Reigns in Judah
1[1] Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. (1Ki 15:8)2[2] And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.3He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim (Ex 23:24; Ex 34:13; 1Ki 15:14; 2Ch 15:17)4and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment.5He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. (Le 26:30; 2Ch 14:3; 2Ch 34:4; 2Ch 34:7; Isa 17:8; Isa 27:9; Eze 6:4; Eze 6:6)6He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace. (2Ch 11:5; 2Ch 15:15; 2Ch 20:30)7And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. (2Ch 8:5; 2Ch 14:6)8And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor. (2Ch 13:3)9Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. (Jos 15:44; 2Ch 11:8; 2Ch 12:3; 2Ch 16:8)10And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. (2Ch 13:3; 2Ch 14:9)11And Asa cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” (Ex 14:10; 1Sa 17:45; 2Ch 13:14; 2Ch 13:18)12So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. (2Ch 13:15)13Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah[3] carried away very much spoil. (Ge 10:19; Ge 20:1; Ge 26:1; Ge 26:6)14And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. (Ge 35:5; 2Ch 14:13; 2Ch 17:10; 2Ch 20:29)15And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.