12
He put away the
1male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed
2all the idols that his fathers had made.
13
3He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and
4burned it at the brook Kidron.
14
5But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless,
6the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days.
15
And
7he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.
16
8And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
17
9Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and
10built Ramah,
11that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
18
Then Asa took all the silver and the gold
12that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house and gave them into the hands of his servants.
13And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria,
14who lived in Damascus, saying,
19
“Let there be
15a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me. ”
20
And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered
16Ijon,
17Dan,
18Abel-beth-maacah, and all
19Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.
21
And when Baasha heard of it,
20he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in
21Tirzah.
22
Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built
22Geba of Benjamin and
23Mizpah.