New International Version NIV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.
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Aviyah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son became king in his place; during his time the land was quiet for ten years.
2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.
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Asa did what was good and right from the perspective of ADONAI his God;
3 He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.
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for he removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashing the standing-stones and chopping down the sacred poles.
4 He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.
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He ordered Y'hudah to seek ADONAI, the God of their ancestors, and to obey the Torah and the mitzvah.
5 He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.
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He removed the high places and pillars for sun-worship from all the cities of Y'hudah, and under him the kingdom was quiet.
6 He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the LORD gave him rest.
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Because the land was quiet, and he had no war during those years, since ADONAI had given him rest, he built fortified cities in Y'hudah.
7 “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
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"Let's build these cities," he said to Y'hudah; "we'll surround them with walls, towers, gates and bars. The land is there for us to use, because we have sought ADONAI our God; we have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side." So they built and prospered.
8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.
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Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Y'hudah, equipped with shields and spears, and another 280,000 from Binyamin, with shields and bows; all were brave, strong men.
9 Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.
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Zerach the Ethiopian came out to attack them with an army of one million and three hundred chariots. When he arrived at Mareshah,
10 Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
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Asa went out to fight him, and the forces were arranged for battle in the Tz'fat Valley at Mareshah.
11 Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”
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Asa cried out to ADONAI his God, "ADONAI, there is no one besides yourself, strong or weak, who can help. Help us, ADONAI our God, because we are relying on you, and we are coming against this vast throng in your name. You are ADONAI our God; don't let human beings stop you!"
12 The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,
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So ADONAI struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Y'hudah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13 and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the LORD and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.
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Asa and the army with him pursued them to G'rar, and the Ethiopians were defeated beyond recovery; they were shattered before ADONAI and his army, who carried off much spoil.
14 They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the LORD had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there.
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Then they attacked all the cities in the vicinity of G'rar, for a panic from ADONAI had overcome them. They plundered all the cities, for they were full of spoil.
15 They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
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They also attacked the tents of those tending the livestock and carried off sheep and camels in abundance. Then they returned to Yerushalayim.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.