2 Chronicles 14
New American Standard Bible 1995
Asa Succeeds Abijah in Judah
14 [a](A)So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and his son Asa became king in his place. The land was undisturbed for ten years during his days.
2 [b]Asa did good and right in the sight of the Lord his God, 3 for he removed (B)the foreign altars and (C)high places, tore down the sacred pillars, cut down the [c](D)Asherim, 4 and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to observe the law and the commandment. 5 He also removed the high places and the (E)incense altars from all the cities of Judah. And the kingdom was undisturbed under him. 6 (F)He built fortified cities in Judah, since the land was undisturbed, and [d]there was no one at war with him during those years, (G)because the Lord had given him rest. 7 For he said to Judah, “(H)Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still [e]ours because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 Now Asa had an army of (I)300,000 from Judah, bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 from Benjamin, bearing shields and wielding bows; all of them were valiant warriors.
9 Now Zerah the Ethiopian (J)came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and he came to (K)Mareshah. 10 So Asa went out [f]to meet him, and they drew up in battle formation in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 Then Asa (L)called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, (M)for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” 12 So (N)the Lord [g]routed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as (O)Gerar; and so many Ethiopians fell that [h]they could not recover, for they were shattered before the Lord and before His army. And they carried away very much plunder. 14 They [i]destroyed all the cities around Gerar, (P)for the dread of the Lord had fallen on them; and they despoiled all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15 They also struck down [j]those who owned livestock, and they carried away large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 14:1 Ch 13:23 in Heb
- 2 Chronicles 14:2 Ch 14:1 in Heb
- 2 Chronicles 14:3 I.e. wooden symbols of a female deity
- 2 Chronicles 14:6 Lit there was not with him war
- 2 Chronicles 14:7 Lit before us
- 2 Chronicles 14:10 Lit before him
- 2 Chronicles 14:12 Lit struck
- 2 Chronicles 14:13 Or there was none left alive
- 2 Chronicles 14:14 Lit smote
- 2 Chronicles 14:15 Lit tents of livestock
2 Chronicles 14
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 14
Asa the Reformer. 1 Asa did what was good and righteous in the eyes of the Lord, his God. 2 He destroyed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed to pieces the sacred pillars, and cut down the sacred poles. 3 He further commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and his commandments.
4 Throughout all the cities of Judah he removed the high places and the incense altars, and under him the kingdom was at peace. 5 He also built fortified cities in Judah during those years of peace which the Lord had granted. 6 Asa then said to Judah: “Let us build up these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the guidance of the Lord, our God, and he has given us peace on every side.” Therefore, they built and prospered.
Zerah’s Invasion. 7 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand warriors from Judah armed with shields and spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin armed with shields and bows. All of them were mighty warriors. 8 [a]Zerah the Ethiopian marched out against them with an army of one million men and three hundred chariots, and they advanced as far as Mareshah. 9 Asa went forth, to confront him, and the opposing armies drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
10 Asa then cried out to the Lord, his God, saying: “Lord, there is no one else like you to help the powerless against a mighty foe. Come to our aid, O Lord, our God, for we are relying upon you, and in your name we are prepared to confront this horde. O Lord, you are our God. Do not allow these mere mortals to prevail against you.” 11 Then the Lord enabled Asa and Judah to strike down the Ethiopians, and they fled. 12 Asa and his army followed in pursuit as far as Gerar. The Ethiopians fell mortally wounded until there were no survivors. Then the army of Judah carried off a tremendous amount of booty.
13 Following that victory, the Judahites destroyed all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord had filled the people with terror. Then they plundered all these villages and carried off all the treasures that were of great value. 14 They also attacked the tents of those who had livestock and carried away great numbers of sheep and goats and camels. After that they returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 14:8 This incident is not documented in extrabiblical sources; since Zerah is not called a pharaoh or a king, he was probably a commander of hordes who came from Africa or Arabia, across the Sinai peninsula.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
