^K8/C1aAnd Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. ^C1bIn his days the land was quiet ten years. ^K9And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. ^K10And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. ^K11/C2And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of YHVH his God, as did David his father.

²⁰Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and YHVH struck him, and he died.

²⁰And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

²⁵And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶And he did evil in the sight of YHVH, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. ²⁷And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. ²⁸Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. ²⁹And it came to pass, when he reigned, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of YHVH, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: ³⁰Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked YHVH God of Israel to anger. ³¹Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ³³In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years. ³⁴And he did evil in the sight of YHVH, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

¹And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: ²And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; YHVH is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. ³Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. ⁴But when they in their trouble did turn unto YHVH God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. ⁵And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. ⁶And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity. ⁷Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. ⁸And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of YHVH, that was before the porch of YHVH.

³For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:

⁹And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that YHVH his God was with him. ¹⁰So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

⁴And [Asa] commanded Judah to seek YHVH God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.

¹¹And they offered unto YHVH the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. ¹²And they entered into a covenant to seek YHVH God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; ¹³That whosoever would not seek YHVH God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. ¹⁴And they sware unto YHVH with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. ¹⁵And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and YHVH gave them rest round about.

^K12And [Asa] took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ^K13/C16And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa cut down [and] destroyed her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. ^K14/C17But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with YHVH all his days. ^K15/C18And he brought into the house of YHVH God the things that his father had dedicated, and the things that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

⁵Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. ⁶And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because YHVH had given him rest. ⁷Therefore 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 YHVH our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered. ⁸And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour. ⁹And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah. ¹⁰Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ¹¹And Asa cried unto YHVH his God, and said, YHVH, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O YHVH our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O YHVH, thou art our God; let no man prevail against thee. ¹²So YHVH smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. ¹³And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before YHVH, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil. ¹⁴And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of YHVH came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them. ¹⁵They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁹And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

^K16/32And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ^K17/C1And in the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ^K18/C2Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of YHVH, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, ^K19/C3There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. ^K20/C4So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the armies which he had against the cities of Israel, and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah [or] Abelmaim, and all Cinneroth, with all the store cities of the land of Naphtali. ^K21/C5And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease and dwelt in Tirzah. ^K22/C6Then king Asa took all Judah [and] made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

⁷And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on YHVH thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. ⁸Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on YHVH, he delivered them into thine hand. ⁹For the eyes of YHVH run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. ¹⁰Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.