14 ^[a]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.

Asa King of Judah^(A)

² Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.^{(B) 3} He removed the foreign altars^(C) and the high places, smashed the sacred stones^(D) and cut down the Asherah poles.^{[b](E) 4} He commanded Judah to seek the Lord,^(F) the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. ⁵ He removed the high places^(G) and incense altars^(H) in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. 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.^(I)

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^(J) on every side.” So they built and prospered.

⁸ Asa had an army of three hundred thousand^(K) 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.

⁹ Zerah the Cushite^(L) marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.^{(M) 10} Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

¹¹ Then Asa called^(N) to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us,^(O) Lord our God, for we rely^(P) on you, and in your name^(Q) we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail^(R) against you.”

¹² The Lord struck down^(S) the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, ¹³ and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar.^(T) Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed^(U) before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.^{(V) 14} They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror^(W) of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there. ¹⁵ They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Asa’s Reform^(X)

15 The Spirit of God came on^(Y) Azariah son of Oded. ² He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you^(Z) when you are with him.^(AA) If you seek^(AB) him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.^{(AC) 3} For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach^(AD) and without the law.^{(AE) 4} But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him,^(AF) and he was found by them. ⁵ In those days it was not safe to travel about,^(AG) for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. ⁶ One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another,^(AH) because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. ⁷ But as for you, be strong^(AI) and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”^(AJ)

⁸ When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of^[c] Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols^(AK) from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured^(AL) in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar^(AM) of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.

⁹ Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers^(AN) had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

¹⁰ They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month^(AO) of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. ¹¹ At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder^(AP) they had brought back. ¹² They entered into a covenant^(AQ) to seek the Lord,^(AR) the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. ¹³ All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death,^(AS) whether small or great, man or woman. ¹⁴ They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. ¹⁵ All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God^(AT) eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest^(AU) on every side.

¹⁶ King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah^(AV) from her position as queen mother,^(AW) because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah.^(AX) Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley.^{(AY) 17} Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. ¹⁸ He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.^(AZ)

¹⁹ There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

Asa’s Last Years^(BA)(BB)

16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha^(BC) king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

² Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.^{(BD) 3} “Let there be a treaty^(BE) between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”

⁴ Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim^[d] and all the store cities of Naphtali.^{(BF) 5} When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. ⁶ Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.^(BG)

⁷ At that time Hanani^(BH) the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied^(BI) on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. ⁸ Were not the Cushites^[e](BJ) and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers^(BK) of chariots and horsemen^[f]? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered^(BL) them into your hand. ⁹ For the eyes^(BM) of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish^(BN) thing, and from now on you will be at war.^(BO)”

¹⁰ Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison.^(BP) At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.

¹¹ The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted^(BQ) with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek^(BR) help from the Lord,^(BS) but only from the physicians. ¹³ Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors. ¹⁴ They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself^(BT) in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes,^(BU) and they made a huge fire^(BV) in his honor.

On Denying the Incarnation

4 Dear friends,^(A) do not believe every spirit,^(B) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.^{(C) 2} This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh^(D) is from God,^{(E) 3} but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,^(F) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.^(G)

⁴ You, dear children,^(H) are from God and have overcome them,^(I) because the one who is in you^(J) is greater than the one who is in the world.^{(K) 5} They are from the world^(L) and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.^(M) This is how we recognize the Spirit^[a] of truth^(N) and the spirit of falsehood.^(O)

God’s Love and Ours

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another,^(P) for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God^(Q) and knows God.^{(R) 8} Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.^{(S) 9} This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^(T) into the world that we might live through him.^{(U) 10} This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us^(V) and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.^{(W) 11} Dear friends,^(X) since God so loved us,^(Y) we also ought to love one another.^{(Z) 12} No one has ever seen God;^(AA) but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.^(AB)

¹³ This is how we know^(AC) that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.^{(AD) 14} And we have seen and testify^(AE) that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.^{(AF) 15} If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,^(AG) God lives in them and they in God.^{(AH) 16} And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.^(AI) Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.^{(AJ) 17} This is how love is made complete^(AK) among us so that we will have confidence^(AL) on the day of judgment:^(AM) In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,^(AN) because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us.^{(AO) 20} Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister^(AP) is a liar.^(AQ) For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,^(AR) cannot love God, whom they have not seen.^{(AS) 21} And he has given us this command:^(AT) Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.^(AU)