2 Chronicles 14; 2 Chronicles 15

1 So Abi'jah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land had rest for ten years.

2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.

3 He took away the foreign altars and the high places, and broke down the pillars and hewed down the Ashe'rim,

4 and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment.

5 He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him.

6 He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace.

7 And 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.

8 And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah, armed with bucklers and spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand men from Benjamin, that carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor.

9 Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mare'shah.

10 And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the valley of Zeph'athah at Mare'shah.

11 And Asa cried to the LORD his God, "O LORD, there is none like thee to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on thee, and in thy name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee."

12 So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.

13 Asa and the people that 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 carried away very much booty.

14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear of the LORD was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.

15 And they smote the tents of those who had cattle, and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

1 The Spirit of God came upon Azari'ah the son of Oded,

2 and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law;

4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.

5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 They were broken in pieces, nation against nation and city against city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress.

7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded."

8 When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azari'ah the son of Oded, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the hill country of E'phraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD.

9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from E'phraim, Manas'seh, and Simeon who were sojourning with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11 They sacrificed to the LORD on that day, from the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;

13 and that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

14 They took oath to the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with horns.

15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest round about.

16 Even Ma'acah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Ashe'rah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.

17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was blameless all his days.

18 And he brought into the house of God the votive gifts of his father and his own votive gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.

19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.