The Reign of Abijam in Judah

15 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. ² Three years he reigned in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ³ He walked in all the sins of his father that he had done before him, and his heart was not fully with Yahweh his God as the heart of David his father. ⁴ For the sake of David, Yahweh his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by establishing his son after him and by causing Jerusalem to exist; ⁵ because David did right in the eyes of Yahweh and he didn’t turn aside from all that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

⁶ There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. ⁷ The remainder of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? There was also war between Abijam and Jeroboam. ⁸ Abijam slept with his ancestors,^[a] and they buried him in the city of David, and Asa his son became king in his place.

The Reign of Asa in Judah

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel, Asa became the king of Judah. ¹⁰ He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ¹¹ Asa did right in the eyes of Yahweh, like David his ancestor.^{[b] 12} He put away the male shrine prostitutes from the land, and he removed all of the idols that his ancestors^[c] made. ¹³ Also, he had Maacah his mother removed from the office of queen mother, as she had made a repulsive image for the Asherah. Asa also cut down her repulsive image and burned it in the Wadi^[d] Kidron. ¹⁴ But the high places he did not remove. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was completely with Yahweh all of his days. ¹⁵ He brought the holy objects of his father and his own holy objects to the house of Yahweh, silver and gold and utensils.

¹⁶ There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all of their days. ¹⁷ Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and he built Ramah to hinder the coming and going of anyone to Asa^[e] king of Judah. ¹⁸ Asa took all of the silver and gold remaining in the storerooms of the house of Yahweh and in the treasury rooms of the house of the king, and he gave them into the hand of his servants; so King Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad the son of Tabrimmon the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, ¹⁹ “Let there be a covenant between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel that he may go up away from me.” ²⁰ Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa, and he sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and he attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-Beth-Maacah, and all of Kinnereth, in addition to all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ When Baasha heard, he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa proclaimed among all of Israel that there was no one free from obligation, so they carried the stones of Ramah and its wood with which Baasha had built, and King Asa rebuilt Geba in Benjamin with them, and the Mizpah. ²³ The remainder of the acts of Asa, all of his achievements, all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? But at the time of his old age, he developed a foot disease.^{[f] 24} Asa slept with his ancestors^[g] and was buried with his ancestors^[h] in the city of David his ancestor;^[i] Jehoshaphat his son became king in his place.

The Reign of Nadab in Israel

²⁵ Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶ He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and he walked in the way of his father and in his sin that he caused Israel to commit. ²⁷ Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. Now Nadab and all of Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon, ²⁸ and Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa the king of Judah, and he reigned in his place. ²⁹ It happened that as soon as he became king, he killed all of the house of Jeroboam. There was no one left of Jeroboam who breathed, until he had destroyed him according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken by the hand of his servant, Ahijah the Shilonite, ³⁰ because of the sins of Jeroboam that he had committed and that he had caused Israel to commit and because of his anger with which he had provoked Yahweh the God of Israel. ³¹ Now the remainder of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?

The Reign of Baasha in Israel

³² There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ³³ In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah had become king over all of Israel; he lived in Tirzah twenty-four years. ³⁴ He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and he walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin that he caused Israel to commit.

The Reign of Asa in Judah

14 ^[a] And Abijah slept with his ancestors,^[b] and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son became king in his place. In his days the land was at rest ten years. ² Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God. ³ He removed the foreign altars and high places, broke down the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherahs. ⁴ And he commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,^[c] and to keep the law and the commandment. ⁵ And he removed the high places and the incense stands from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom had rest under^[d] him. ⁶ And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was at rest. Under^[e] him there was no war in those years, for Yahweh had given rest to him. ⁷ And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars while the land is before us, because we have sought Yahweh our God. We have sought and he has given rest to us on every side.” So they built and had success. ⁸ And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah, bearing shields and spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin who carried shields and drew bows. All of these were mighty warriors of strength.

⁹ Zerah the Cushite came out against them with an army of a thousand thousands and three hundred chariots. And he came to Mareshah. ¹⁰ And Asa went out before him, and a battle was put in order in the valley of Zepah at Mareshah.

¹¹ Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God. And he said, “O Yahweh, there is none with you to help between the great and the powerless. Help us, O Yahweh our God, for we rely upon you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Yahweh, you are our God! Let no man prevail against you!”

¹² So Yahweh defeated the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled. ¹³ Then Asa and the army^[f] with him pursued them to Gerar. And many from the Cushites fell, for they had no deliverance, for they were shattered before Yahweh and before his army. And they carried away much war booty. ¹⁴ And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of Yahweh was upon them. And they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. ¹⁵ And they also struck the tents of the herdsmen and carried away many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Asa’s Religious Reforms

15 Now Azariah the son of Oded—the Spirit of God came upon him. ² And he went out before Asa and said to him, “Hear me, O Asa and all of Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh is with you while you are with him. And if you will seek him he will be found by you. But if you forsake him he will forsake you. ³ Now Israel has been without the true God many days, and without a teaching priest, and without law, ⁴ but at its trouble he returned to Yahweh, the God of Israel. They sought him, and he was found by them. ⁵ And in those times there was no peace for the one going out and the one coming in, for great tumults were upon all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶ Nation was crushed by nation, and city was against city, for God threw them into confusion by all sorts of trouble. ⁷ But as for you, be strong and let not your hands be weak, for there is reward for your labor.”

⁸ And when Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the vile idols from all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of Yahweh that was in front of the portico of Yahweh.

⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those sojourning with them, from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for many had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him. ¹⁰ And they were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹ And they sacrificed to Yahweh on that day from the war booty they brought back: seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. ¹² And they entered into a covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,^[g] with all their heart and with all their inmost being,^{[h] 13} but all who will not seek Yahweh the God of Israel should be killed, from young to old, from men to women. ¹⁴ And they took an oath to Yahweh with a great voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with horns. ¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they swore with all their heart. And they sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and Yahweh gave rest to them all around.

¹⁶ And also Maacah, the mother of Asa, the king removed her from being queen, because she had made a repulsive image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her repulsive image, and he crushed and burned it at the Wadi^[i] Kidron. ¹⁷ But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was fully devoted all his days. ¹⁸ And he brought the holy objects of his father and his own holy objects into the house of God—silver and gold and vessels. ¹⁹ And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

The End of Asa’s Reign

16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha the king of Israel went up against Judah. And he built Ramah in order not to allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah. ² Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the storehouses of the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, and he sent them to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram,^[j] who lived in Damascus, saying, ³ “There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha, king of Israel, that he might withdraw from me.”

⁴ And Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa, and he sent commanders of his troops that were with him against the cities of Israel. And they struck Ijon, Dan, Abel-Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. ⁵ And it happened that when Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. ⁶ Then King Asa took all of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and he built Geba and Mizpah with them.

⁷ And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “On account of your reliance upon the king of Aram,^[k] and since you did not rely on Yahweh your God, therefore the troops of the king of Aram^[l] escaped from your hand. ⁸ Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with very abundant chariots and horsemen? And because of your reliance on Yahweh he gave them into your hand. ⁹ For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout all the earth to strengthen those whose heart is fully devoted to him. You have been foolish in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the prison,^[m] for he was enraged with him concerning this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

¹¹ Now behold, the words of Asa from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, he fell severely^[n] ill in his feet. But even in his illness he did not seek Yahweh, but only among the healers. ¹³ And Asa slept with his ancestors.^[o] And he died in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ And they buried him in his burial site, which had been cut out for him in the city of David. And they laid him on the bier which they had filled with all kinds of spices made by the perfumers as a fragment ointment. And they made a great fire in his honor.