2 Chronicles 16
King James Version
16 In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,
3 There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.
4 And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.
5 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease.
6 Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.
7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand.
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.
11 And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.
14 And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art: and they made a very great burning for him.
2 Chronicles 16
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 16
Asa’s Infidelity. 1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa, Baasha, the king of Israel, invaded Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the kingdom of Asa, the king of Judah. 2 Asa then brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of his own palace, and he sent it to Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, who resided in Damascus.
3 “Let there be an alliance between the two of us,” Asa said, “as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending you silver and gold. In return, I am asking you to break your alliance with Baasha, the king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.” 4 Ben-hadad approved the request of King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the towns of Israel. They ravaged Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all of the store cities of Naphtali.
5 When Baasha heard this, he discontinued his plan to fortify Ramah, and he abandoned any further improvements. 6 Then King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to remove the stones of Ramah and its timber that Baasha had been using to fortify that place, and he used them instead to fortify Geba and Mizpah.
7 At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and did not rely instead on the Lord, your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your clutches. 8 Did not the Ethiopians and the Libyans have a vast army with great numbers of chariots and cavalry? And yet, when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hands. 9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout all the earth to strengthen the hearts of those who are totally committed to him. You have acted foolishly in this instance, and from now on you will be forced to endure wars.” 10 Then Asa became enraged at what the seer had said, and he ordered Hanani to be imprisoned in the stocks. Furthermore, at the same time Asa treated some others of his people with great cruelty.
11 The history of the reign of Asa, from beginning to end, is recorded in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was gravely afflicted with severe disease in his feet. However, even during his illness he did not seek the help of the Lord but rather resorted to taking the advice of physicians. 13 Then, in the forty-first year of his reign, he died and fell asleep with his ancestors. 14 They buried him in the tomb that he had hewn for himself in the City of David, having laid him on a bier that had been filled with spices and various kinds of perfumes. In addition they also kindled a very great fire in his honor.[a]
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 16:14 They burned aromatic plants.
2 Chronicles 16
New King James Version
Asa’s Treaty with Syria(A)
16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, (B)Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, (C)that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, 3 “Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
4 So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 5 Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.
Hanani’s Message to Asa
7 And at that time (D)Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: (E)“Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 8 Were (F)the Ethiopians and (G)the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your (H)hand. 9 (I)For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this (J)you have done foolishly; therefore from now on (K)you shall have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer, and (L)put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.
Illness and Death of Asa(M)
11 (N)Note that the acts of Asa, first and last, are indeed written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12 And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he (O)did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.
13 (P)So Asa [a]rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 They buried him in his own tomb, which he had [b]made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him in the bed which was filled (Q)with spices and various ingredients prepared in a mixture of ointments. They made (R)a very great burning for him.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 16:13 Died and joined his ancestors
- 2 Chronicles 16:14 Lit. dug
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
