¹¹ Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.

^2 [a]Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God.

¹⁷ Although the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful throughout his life.

⁷ At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram. ⁸ Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians^[a] and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers?^[b] At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you. ⁹ The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.”

¹⁰ Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying this that he threw him into prison and put him in stocks. At that time Asa also began to oppress some of his people.

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!”

³ He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been.