Asa Reigns over Judah

14 So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then ^(A)Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.

Asa Reigns in Judah^(B)

² Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, ³ for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and ^(C)the ^[a]high places, and ^(D)broke down the sacred pillars ^(E)and cut down the wooden images. ⁴ He commanded Judah to ^(F)seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. ⁵ He also removed the ^[b]high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him. ⁶ And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him ^(G)rest. ⁷ Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. ⁸ And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried ^[c]shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew ^(H)bows; all these were mighty men of ^(I)valor.

^9 (J)Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to ^(K)Mareshah. ¹⁰ So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ¹¹ And Asa ^(L)cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, it is ^(M)nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and ^(N)in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”

¹² So the Lord ^(O)struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. ¹³ And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to ^(P)Gerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the Lord and His army. And they carried away very much ^[d]spoil. ¹⁴ Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for ^(Q)the fear of the Lord came upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much ^[e]spoil in them. ¹⁵ They also ^[f]attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

The Reforms of Asa

15 Now ^(R)the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. ² And he went out ^[g]to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. ^(S)The Lord is with you while you are with Him. ^(T)If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but ^(U)if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. ^3 (V)For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a ^(W)teaching priest, and without ^(X)law; ⁴ but ^(Y)when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. ⁵ And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. ^6 (Z)So nation was ^[h]destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. ⁷ But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”

⁸ And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of ^[i]Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities ^(AA)which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the Lord that was before the vestibule of the Lord. ⁹ Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and ^(AB)those who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

¹⁰ So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ^11 (AC)And they offered to the Lord ^[j]at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the ^[k]spoil they had brought. ¹² Then they ^(AD)entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; ^13 (AE)and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel ^(AF)was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. ¹⁴ Then they took an oath before the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns. ¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and ^(AG)sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them ^(AH)rest all around.

¹⁶ Also he removed ^(AI)Maachah, the ^[l]mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of ^[m]Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron. ¹⁷ But ^(AJ)the ^[n]high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days.

¹⁸ He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils. ¹⁹ And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

Asa’s Treaty with Syria^(AK)

16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, ^(AL)Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, ^(AM)that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ² Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, ³ “Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

⁴ So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. ⁵ Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. ⁶ Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

Hanani’s Message to Asa

⁷ And at that time ^(AN)Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: ^(AO)“Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. ⁸ Were ^(AP)the Ethiopians and ^(AQ)the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your ^(AR)hand. ^9 (AS)For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this ^(AT)you have done foolishly; therefore from now on ^(AU)you shall have wars.” ¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer, and ^(AV)put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

Illness and Death of Asa^(AW)

^11 (AX)Note that the acts of Asa, first and last, are indeed written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he ^(AY)did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.

^13 (AZ)So Asa ^[o]rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ They buried him in his own tomb, which he had ^[p]made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him in the bed which was filled ^(BA)with spices and various ingredients prepared in a mixture of ointments. They made ^(BB)a very great burning for him.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

17 Then ^(BC)Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel. ² And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of ^(BD)Judah and in the cities of Ephraim ^(BE)which Asa his father had taken. ³ Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, ⁴ but sought ^[q]the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to ^(BF)the acts of Israel. ⁵ Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah ^(BG)gave presents to Jehoshaphat, ^(BH)and he had riches and honor in abundance. ⁶ And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; moreover ^(BI)he removed the ^[r]high places and wooden images from Judah.

⁷ Also in the third year of his reign he sent his leaders, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Michaiah, ^(BJ)to teach in the cities of Judah. ⁸ And with them he sent Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah—the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. ^9 (BK)So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.

¹⁰ And ^(BL)the fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Also some of the Philistines ^(BM)brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver as tribute; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.

¹² So Jehoshaphat became increasingly powerful, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. ¹³ He had much property in the cities of Judah; and the men of war, mighty men of valor, were in Jerusalem.

¹⁴ These are their numbers, according to their fathers’ houses. Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him three hundred thousand mighty men of valor; ¹⁵ and next to him was Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and eighty thousand; ¹⁶ and next to him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, ^(BN)who willingly offered himself to the Lord, and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor. ¹⁷ Of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸ and next to him was Jehozabad, and with him one hundred and eighty thousand prepared for war. ¹⁹ These served the king, besides ^(BO)those the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

Micaiah Warns Ahab^(BP)

18 Jehoshaphat ^(BQ)had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he ^(BR)allied himself with ^(BS)Ahab. ^2 (BT)After some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead. ³ So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?”

And he answered him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war.”

⁴ Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ^(BU)“Please inquire for the word of the Lord today.”

⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”

So they said, “Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.”

⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of ^(BV)Him?”^[s]

⁷ So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla.”

And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!”

⁸ Then the king of Israel called one of his officers and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly!”

⁹ The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in their robes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. ¹⁰ Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made ^(BW)horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ”

¹¹ And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.”

¹² Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.”

¹³ And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, ^(BX)whatever my God says, that I will speak.”

¹⁴ Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”

And he said, “Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!”

¹⁵ So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

¹⁶ Then he said, “I saw all Israel ^(BY)scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no ^(BZ)shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”

¹⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

¹⁸ Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His ^(CA)throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left. ¹⁹ And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. ²⁰ Then a ^(CB)spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ ²¹ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him and also prevail; go out and do so.’ ²² Therefore look! ^(CC)The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.”

²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and ^(CD)struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?”

²⁴ And Micaiah said, “Indeed you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!”

²⁵ Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁶ and say, ‘Thus says the king: ^(CE)“Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I return in peace.” ’ ”

²⁷ But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by ^(CF)me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”

Ahab Dies in Battle^(CG)

²⁸ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. ²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will ^(CH)disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.

³⁰ Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots who were with him, saying, “Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel.”

³¹ So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “It is the king of Israel!” Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat ^(CI)cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him. ³² For so it was, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. ³³ Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the ^[t]joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” ³⁴ The battle increased that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening; and about the time of sunset he died.