^17 (A)Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and ^(B)built Ramah, ^(C)that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

²⁷ If this people ^(A)go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

Asa's Last Years

16 ^(A)In the ^(B)thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, ^(C)that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ² Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, ³ “There is a covenant^[a] between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” ⁴ And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the ^(D)store cities of Naphtali. ⁵ And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. ⁶ Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

²⁵ Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

²¹ And when Baasha heard of it, ^(A)he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in ^(B)Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built ^(C)Geba of Benjamin and ^(D)Mizpah.

Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem

¹³ And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all places where they lived. ¹⁴ For the Levites left ^(A)their common lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, ^(B)because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the Lord, ¹⁵ and he appointed his own ^(C)priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for ^(D)the calves that he had made. ^16 (E)And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers. ^17 (F)They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

^27 (A)Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at ^(B)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.

³⁴ Then Samuel went ^(A)to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in ^(B)Gibeah of Saul.