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2 Chronicles 16
New English Translation

16 1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah, and he established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah.[a] 2 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and sent it to King Ben Hadad of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 3 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made.[b] See, I have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.”[c] 4 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel.[d] They conquered[e] Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim,[f] and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying[g] Ramah and abandoned the project.[h] 6 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah.[i] He used the materials to build up[j] Geba and Mizpah.

7 At that time Hanani the prophet[k] visited King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 8 Did not the Cushites and Libyans have a huge army with chariots and a very large number of horsemen? But when you relied on the Lord, he handed them over to you! 9 Certainly[l] the Lord watches the whole earth carefully[m] and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him.[n] You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war.” 10 Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail.[o] Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.

Asa’s Reign Ends

11 The events of Asa’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.[p] 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a foot disease and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease, he did not seek the Lord, but only the doctors. 13 Asa passed away[q] in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 He was buried in the tomb he had carved out in the City of David.[r] They laid him to rest on a platform[s] covered with spices and assorted mixtures of ointments. They made a huge bonfire to honor him.[t]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 16:1 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 16:3 tn Heb “[May there be] a covenant between me and you [as there was] between my father and your father.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 16:3 tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 16:4 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 16:4 tn Heb “They struck down.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 16:4 sn In the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 15:20, this city’s name appears as Abel Beth Maacah. These appear to be variant names for the same place.
  7. 2 Chronicles 16:5 tn Heb “building.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 16:5 tn Heb “and he caused his work to cease.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 16:6 tn Heb “and King Asa took all Judah and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 16:6 tn Heb “and he built with them.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 16:7 tn Heb “the seer.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 16:9 tn Or “for.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 16:9 tn Heb “the eyes of the Lord move quickly through all the earth.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 16:9 tn Heb “to strengthen himself with their heart, [the one] complete toward him.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 16:10 tn Heb “and Asa was angry at the seer, and he put him [in] the house of stocks, because of his rage with him over this.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 16:11 tn Heb “Look, the events of Asa, the former and the latter, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 16:13 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers, and he died.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 16:14 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  19. 2 Chronicles 16:14 tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁכָּב (mishkav) most often refers to a bed. In this setting it was most likely a raised platform within the tomb where the body was laid to rest, technically similar to a bier.
  20. 2 Chronicles 16:14 tn Heb “and they burned for him a large fire, very great.”
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2 Chronicles 16
Common English Bible

Aram invades Judah

16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s rule, Israel’s King Baasha attacked Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent Judah’s King Asa from moving into that area. 2 Asa took silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace and sent them to Aram’s King Ben-hadad, who ruled in Damascus, with the following message: 3 “Let’s make a covenant similar to the one between our fathers. Since I have already sent you silver and gold, break your covenant with Israel’s King Baasha so that he will leave me alone.” 4 Ben-hadad agreed with King Asa and sent his army commanders against the cities of Israel, attacking Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali. 5 As soon as Baasha learned of this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. 6 Then King Asa had all Judah carry away the stone and timber that Baasha was using to build Ramah, and King Asa used it to build Geba and Mizpah. 7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Judah’s King Asa and said to him, “Because you relied on Aram’s king and not on the Lord your God, the army of Aram’s king has slipped out of your grasp. 8 Weren’t the Cushites and the Libyans a vast army with chariots and horsemen to spare? Still, when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your power, 9 because the Lord’s eyes scan the whole world to strengthen those who are committed to him with all their hearts. Your foolishness means that you will have war on your hands from now on.” 10 Asa was angry with the seer. Asa was so mad he threw Hanani in jail and took his anger out on some of the people.

Asa’s disease and death

11 The rest of Asa’s deeds, from beginning to end, are written in the official records of Israel’s and Judah’s kings. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his rule, Asa developed a severe foot disease. But even in his illness he refused to seek the Lord and consulted doctors instead. 13 In the forty-first year of his rule, Asa lay down with his ancestors. 14 He was buried in the tomb he had prepared for himself in David’s City, and was laid on a bed filled with sweet spices and various kinds of perfume, with a huge fire made in his honor.

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