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)

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

“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.

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.

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. 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) For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach(AD) and without the law.(AE) But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him,(AF) and he was found by them. In those days it was not safe to travel about,(AG) for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another,(AH) because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. But as for you, be strong(AI) and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”(AJ)

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.

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.

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) “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.”

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) When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. 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)

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. 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. 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.

Jehoshaphat King of Judah

17 Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king and strengthened(BW) himself against Israel. He stationed troops in all the fortified cities(BX) of Judah and put garrisons in Judah and in the towns of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.(BY)

The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David(BZ) before him. He did not consult the Baals but sought(CA) the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts(CB) to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor.(CC) His heart was devoted(CD) to the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places(CE) and the Asherah poles(CF) from Judah.(CG)

In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah to teach(CH) in the towns of Judah. With them were certain Levites(CI)—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-Adonijah—and the priests Elishama and Jehoram. They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law(CJ) of the Lord; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.

10 The fear(CK) of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs(CL) brought him flocks:(CM) seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.

12 Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah 13 and had large supplies in the towns of Judah. He also kept experienced fighting men in Jerusalem. 14 Their enrollment(CN) by families was as follows:

From Judah, commanders of units of 1,000:

Adnah the commander, with 300,000 fighting men;

15 next, Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000;

16 next, Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered(CO) himself for the service of the Lord, with 200,000.

17 From Benjamin:(CP)

Eliada, a valiant soldier, with 200,000 men armed with bows and shields;

18 next, Jehozabad, with 180,000 men armed for battle.

19 These were the men who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities(CQ) throughout Judah.(CR)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 14:1 In Hebrew texts 14:1 is numbered 13:23, and 14:2-15 is numbered 14:1-14.
  2. 2 Chronicles 14:3 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in 2 Chronicles
  3. 2 Chronicles 15:8 Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 1); Hebrew does not have Azariah son of.
  4. 2 Chronicles 16:4 Also known as Abel Beth Maakah
  5. 2 Chronicles 16:8 That is, people from the upper Nile region
  6. 2 Chronicles 16:8 Or charioteers

And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Asa his son succeeded him as king.

Asa King of Judah(A)(B)

In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, 10 and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah(C) daughter of Abishalom.

11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David(D) had done. 12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes(E) from the land and got rid of all the idols(F) his ancestors had made. 13 He even deposed his grandmother Maakah(G) from her position as queen mother,(H) because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down(I) and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 Although he did not remove(J) the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed(K) to the Lord all his life. 15 He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.(L)

16 There was war(M) between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns. 17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah(N) to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

18 Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple(O) and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent(P) them to Ben-Hadad(Q) son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 19 “Let there be a treaty(R) between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”

20 Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. He conquered(S) Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah and all Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah(T) and withdrew to Tirzah.(U) 22 Then King Asa issued an order to all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away from Ramah(V) the stones and timber Baasha had been using there. With them King Asa(W) built up Geba(X) in Benjamin, and also Mizpah.(Y)

23 As for all the other events of Asa’s reign, all his achievements, all he did and the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? In his old age, however, his feet became diseased. 24 Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And Jehoshaphat(Z) his son succeeded him as king.

Nadab King of Israel

25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did evil(AA) in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his father(AB) and committing the same sin his father had caused Israel to commit.

27 Baasha son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar plotted against him, and he struck him down(AC) at Gibbethon,(AD) a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging it. 28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and succeeded him as king.

29 As soon as he began to reign, he killed Jeroboam’s whole family.(AE) He did not leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all, according to the word of the Lord given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30 This happened because of the sins(AF) Jeroboam had committed and had caused(AG) Israel to commit, and because he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel.

31 As for the other events of Nadab’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals(AH) of the kings of Israel? 32 There was war(AI) between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.

Baasha King of Israel

33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel in Tirzah,(AJ) and he reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did evil(AK) in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

16 Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu(AL) son of Hanani(AM) concerning Baasha: “I lifted you up from the dust(AN) and appointed you ruler(AO) over my people Israel, but you followed the ways of Jeroboam and caused(AP) my people Israel to sin and to arouse my anger by their sins. So I am about to wipe out Baasha(AQ) and his house,(AR) and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat. Dogs(AS) will eat those belonging to Baasha who die in the city, and birds(AT) will feed on those who die in the country.”

As for the other events of Baasha’s reign, what he did and his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals(AU) of the kings of Israel? Baasha rested with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah.(AV) And Elah his son succeeded him as king.

Moreover, the word of the Lord came(AW) through the prophet Jehu(AX) son of Hanani to Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger by the things he did, becoming like the house of Jeroboam—and also because he destroyed it.

Elah King of Israel

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.

Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk(AY) in the home of Arza, the palace administrator(AZ) at Tirzah. 10 Zimri came in, struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then he succeeded him as king.(BA)

11 As soon as he began to reign and was seated on the throne, he killed off Baasha’s whole family.(BB) He did not spare a single male, whether relative or friend. 12 So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu— 13 because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.(BC)

14 As for the other events of Elah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

Zimri King of Israel

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah seven days. The army was encamped near Gibbethon,(BD) a Philistine town. 16 When the Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and murdered him, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp. 17 Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. So he died, 19 because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord and following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

20 As for the other events of Zimri’s reign, and the rebellion he carried out, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

Omri King of Israel

21 Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri. 22 But Omri’s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.(BE) 24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents[a] of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria,(BF) after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.

25 But Omri did evil(BG) in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. 26 He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused(BH) Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.(BI)

27 As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 28 Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria.(BJ) And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.

Ahab Becomes King of Israel

29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more(BK) evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married(BL) Jezebel daughter(BM) of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal(BN) and worship him. 32 He set up an altar(BO) for Baal in the temple(BP) of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole(BQ) and did more(BR) to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.

34 In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.(BS)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 16:24 That is, about 150 pounds or about 68 kilograms

25 (There was never(A) anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites(B) the Lord drove out before Israel.)

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Jehoshaphat King of Judah(A)

41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 43 In everything he followed the ways of his father Asa(B) and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. The high places,(C) however, were not removed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.[a] 44 Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel.

45 As for the other events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, the things he achieved and his military exploits, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 46 He rid the land of the rest of the male shrine prostitutes(D) who remained there even after the reign of his father Asa. 47 There was then no king(E) in Edom; a provincial governor ruled.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 22:43 In Hebrew texts this sentence (22:43b) is numbered 22:44, and 22:44-53 is numbered 22:45-54.

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