New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. There was peace in the land for ten years.
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Abijah died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Asa became the next king. For ten years into Asa's reign the country was at peace.
2 Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the LORD his God.
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Asa was a good king. He did things right in God's eyes.
3 He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles.
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He cleaned house: got rid of the pagan altars and shrines, smashed the sacred stone pillars, and chopped down the sex-and-religion groves (Asherim).
4 He commanded the people of Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands.
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He told Judah to center their lives in God, the God of their fathers, to do what the law said, and to follow the commandments.
5 Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars from every one of Judah’s towns. So Asa’s kingdom enjoyed a period of peace.
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Because he got rid of all the pagan shrines and altars in the cities of Judah, his kingdom was at peace.
6 During those peaceful years, he was able to build up the fortified towns throughout Judah. No one tried to make war against him at this time, for the LORD was giving him rest from his enemies.
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Because the land was quiet and there was no war, he was able to build up a good defense system in Judah. God kept the peace.
7 Asa told the people of Judah, “Let us build towns and fortify them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours because we sought the LORD our God, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they went ahead with these projects and brought them to completion.
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Asa said to his people, "While we have the chance and the land is quiet, let's build a solid defense system, fortifying our cities with walls, towers, gates, and bars. We have this peaceful land because we sought God; he has given us rest from all troubles." So they built and enjoyed prosperity.
8 King Asa had an army of 300,000 warriors from the tribe of Judah, armed with large shields and spears. He also had an army of 280,000 warriors from the tribe of Benjamin, armed with small shields and bows. Both armies were composed of well-trained fighting men.
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Asa had an army of 300,000 Judeans, equipped with shields and spears, and another 280,000 Benjaminites who were shield bearers and archers. They were all courageous warriors.
9 Once an Ethiopian named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. They advanced to the town of Mareshah,
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Zerah the Ethiopian went to war against Asa with an army of a million plus 300 chariots and got as far as Mareshah.
10 so Asa deployed his armies for battle in the valley north of Mareshah.
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Asa met him there and prepared to fight from the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
11 Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, “O LORD, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O LORD, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!”
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Then Asa prayed to God, "O God, you aren't impressed by numbers or intimidated by a show of force once you decide to help: Help us, O God; we have come out to meet this huge army because we trust in you and who you are. Don't let mere mortals stand against you!"
12 So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled.
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God defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah; the Ethiopians ran for their lives.
13 Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fell that they were unable to rally. They were destroyed by the LORD and his army, and the army of Judah carried off a vast amount of plunder.
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Asa and his men chased them as far as Gerar; so many of the Ethiopians were killed that there was no fight left in them - a massacre before God and his troops; Judah carted off loads of plunder.
14 While they were at Gerar, they attacked all the towns in that area, and terror from the LORD came upon the people there. As a result, a vast amount of plunder was taken from these towns, too.
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They devastated all the towns around Gerar whose people were helpless, paralyzed by the fear of God, and looted the country.
15 They also attacked the camps of herdsmen and captured many sheep, goats, and camels before finally returning to Jerusalem.
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They also attacked herdsmen and brought back a lot of sheep and camels to Jerusalem.