1 Kings 15:4-19

English Standard Version

⁴Nevertheless, for David's sake the Lord his God gave him ^(A)a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, ⁵because ^(B)David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, ^(C)except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. ⁶^(D)Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. ⁷^(E)The rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ^(F)And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. ⁸^(G)And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.

Asa Reigns in Judah

⁹In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, ¹⁰and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ¹¹^(H)And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. ¹²He put away the ^(I)male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed ^(J)all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³^(K)He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and ^(L)burned it at the brook Kidron. ¹⁴^(M)But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, ^(N)the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. ¹⁵And ^(O)he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.

¹⁶^(P)And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ¹⁷^(Q)Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and ^(R)built Ramah, ^(S)that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ¹⁸Then Asa took all the silver and the gold ^(T)that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. ^(U)And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ^(V)who lived in Damascus, saying, ¹⁹“Let there be ^(W)a covenant^[a] between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.”