2 Chronicles 16
New American Standard Bible
Asa Wars against Baasha
16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, (A)Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and [a]fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the king’s house, and sent it to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “A treaty must be made between [b]you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” 4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa, and he sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they [c]conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all (B)the [d]storage cities of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard about it, he stopped [e]fortifying Ramah and put an end to his work. 6 Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with it he [f]fortified Geba and Mizpah.
Asa Imprisons the Prophet
7 At that time (C)Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “(D)Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, for that reason the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not (E)the Ethiopians and the Lubim (F)an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet (G)because you relied on the Lord, He handed them over to you. 9 For (H)the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those (I)whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in [g]prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa mistreated some of the people at the same time.
11 (J)Now, the acts of Asa from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he (K)did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. 13 So Asa [h]lay down with his fathers, and died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 They buried him in his own tomb which he had cut out for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the resting place which he had filled (L)with spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art; and (M)they made a very great fire for him.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 16:1 Lit built
- 2 Chronicles 16:3 Lit me and you
- 2 Chronicles 16:4 Lit struck
- 2 Chronicles 16:4 Lit storage places of the cities
- 2 Chronicles 16:5 Lit building
- 2 Chronicles 16:6 Lit built
- 2 Chronicles 16:10 Lit the house of the stocks
- 2 Chronicles 16:13 I.e., died
2 Chronicles 16
Christian Standard Bible
Asa’s Treaty with Aram
16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa,(A) Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah. He built Ramah in order to keep anyone from leaving or coming to King Asa of Judah. 2 So Asa brought out the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace and sent it to Aram’s King Ben-hadad, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “There’s a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you silver and gold. Go break your treaty with Israel’s King Baasha so that he will withdraw from me.”
4 Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies to the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim,[a] and all the storage cities[b] of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stopped his work. 6 Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then he built Geba and Mizpah with them.
Hanani’s Rebuke of Asa
7 At that time, the seer Hanani(B) came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the Lord your God,(C) the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you. 8 Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen?(D) When you depended on the Lord, he handed them over to you.(E) 9 For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth(F) to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him.(G) You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on.” 10 Asa was enraged with the seer and put him in prison[c] because of his anger over this. And Asa mistreated some of the people at that time.
Asa’s Death
11 Note that the events(H) 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 developed a disease in his feet, and his disease became increasingly severe. Yet even in his disease he didn’t seek the Lord but only the physicians. 13 Asa rested with his ancestors; he died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 He was buried in his own tomb that he had made for himself in the city of David. They laid him out in a coffin that was full of spices and various mixtures of prepared ointments;(I) then they made a great fire in his honor.(J)
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