9
So in the twentiethyear of Jeroboam the king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king of Judah.
10
He reignedforty-one*years in Jerusalem; and 1his mother'sname was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.
11
2Asadidwhat was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father.
12
3He also putaway the malecultprostitutes from the land and 4removedall the idolswhich his fathers had made.
13
5He alsoremovedMaacah his mother from being queenmother, because she had made a horridimage as an Asherah; and Asacutdown her horridimage and 6burned it at the brookKidron.
14
7But the highplaces were not takenaway; nevertheless8the heart of Asa was whollydevoted to the LORDall his days.
15
9He brought into the house of the LORD the dedicatedthings of his father and his own dedicatedthings: silver and gold and utensils.
16
10Now there was warbetweenAsa and Baashaking of Israelall their days.
17
11Baashaking of Israelwent up againstJudah and 12fortifiedRamah13in order to prevent* anyone from going out or coming in to Asaking of Judah.
18
Then 14Asatookall the silver and the gold which were left in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the treasuries of the king'shouse, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And 15KingAsasent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived in 16Damascus, saying,
19
"Let there be a 17treatybetween you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you a present of silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baashaking of Israel so that he will withdraw from me."
20
So Ben-hadadlistened to KingAsa and sent the commanders of his armiesagainst the cities of Israel, and conquered18Ijon, 19Dan, 20Abel-beth-maacah and all21Chinneroth, besidesall the land of Naphtali.
21
When Baashaheard of it, 22he ceasedfortifyingRamah and remained in 23Tirzah.
22
Then KingAsamade a proclamation to allJudah-none was exempt -and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with whichBaasha had built. And KingAsabuilt with them 24Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.
Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa
2325Now the rest of all the acts of Asa and all his might and all that he did and the citieswhich he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles* of the Kings of Judah? But in the time of his oldage he was diseased in his feet.
24
And Asaslept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and 26Jehoshaphat his sonreigned in his place.
In this chapter we have a short history of the reign of Abijam, 1Ki 15:1-8 and of Asa, 1Ki 14:9-24, both kings of Judah; and of the reigns of Nadab the son of Jeroboam, and of Baasha, who destroyed his family, both kings of Israel, 1Ki 15:25-34.