Asa

9And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.

In the twentieth year that Jeroboam was king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah.

10And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

Asa was king in Jerusalem for forty-one years. His grandmother was named Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom.

11And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.

Asa did what was right to the LORD. He was like his ancestor David.

12And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

Asa sent away the men who sold their bodies at the idol temples. He also got rid of all the idols his family had made.

13And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.

Asa even took away his grandmother Maachah's place of honor as queen. She had made an ugly idol pole for a false god. Asa chopped her idol down and burned it by the Kidron brook.

14But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.

The high places, where people gave gifts to false gods, were not taken away. Still, Asa's heart belonged fully to the LORD all his life.

15And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver, and gold, and vessels.

Asa brought silver, gold, and dishes into the LORD's house. He and his father had set these things apart for God.

16And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

There was war between Asa and Baasha, king of Israel, all their days.

17And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

Baasha, king of Israel, came to fight against Judah. He built up the town of Ramah with strong walls. He wanted to stop anyone from going in or out of Asa's land.

18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

So Asa took all the silver and gold left in the LORD's house. He also took the treasure from his own palace. He gave it to his servants to carry. King Asa sent them to Benhadad, the king of Syria, who lived in Damascus. Benhadad was the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion. Asa sent this message:

19There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

"Let us be friends, you and me, like our fathers were. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Please break your promise with Baasha, the king of Israel. Then he will go away and leave me alone."

20So Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.

Benhadad listened to King Asa. He sent his army leaders to attack the cities of Israel. They beat Ijon, Dan, and Abelbethmaachah. They took all of Cinneroth and all the land of Naphtali.

21And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah.

When Baasha heard this news, he stopped building up Ramah. He went back and stayed in the city of Tirzah.

22Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

Then King Asa called every man in Judah, with no one left out. They carried away the stones and wood Baasha had used at Ramah. With them, King Asa built up Geba in Benjamin, and Mizpah.

23The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.

The other things Asa did are written in another book. It tells of his strength, his deeds, and the cities he built. It is the book of the history of the kings of Judah. When Asa was old, his feet became sick.

24And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.

Then Asa died, like his ancestors before him. He was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place.

1So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.

Abijah died like his fathers before him. They buried him in the city of David. His son Asa became king in his place. While Asa was king, the land had peace for ten years.

2And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:

Asa did what was good and right. He pleased the LORD his God.

3For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:

He took away the altars built for other gods. He took away the worship places on the hills. He smashed the stone pillars people prayed to. He chopped down the wooden poles used to worship the goddess Asherah.

4And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.

He told the people of Judah to look for the LORD, the God of their fathers. He told them to obey God's law and rules.

5Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.

He also took the hilltop worship places and incense altars out of every city in Judah. So the kingdom was peaceful while he ruled.

6And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.

Asa built cities with strong walls in Judah. The land was resting. No one made war with him in those years. This was because the LORD had given him rest.

7Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

So Asa said to the people of Judah, "Let us build these cities. Let us put walls and towers around them. Let us add gates and bars. The land is still ours. We have looked for the LORD our God. We looked for him, and he has given us rest on every side." So they built the cities, and things went well.

8And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.

Asa had an army of brave, strong men. From Judah there were 300,000 men with big shields and spears. From Benjamin there were 280,000 men with small shields and bows.

9And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

Then Zerah, a man from Cush, came to fight them. He had an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. They came as far as the town of Mareshah.

10Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

So Asa marched out to meet him. Both armies lined up to fight in the Valley of Zephathah, near Mareshah.

11And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

Asa called out to the LORD his God. He said, "LORD, only you can help weak people against strong ones. Help us, LORD our God. We are leaning on you. We come against this huge army in your name. LORD, you are our God. Do not let any man win against you."

12So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.

So the LORD struck down the army from Cush in front of Asa and Judah. The men from Cush ran away.

13And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.

Asa and his men chased them all the way to the town of Gerar. So many of the men from Cush fell that their army could not fight again. They were crushed before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah carried off a great many things the enemy left behind.

14And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.

They also attacked all the towns around Gerar. The people there were very afraid of the LORD. Judah's men took the goods from all those towns, because there was so much to take.

15They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

They also attacked the camps where herders kept their animals. They took away many sheep and camels. Then they went back to Jerusalem.

1And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

The Spirit of God came upon a man named Azariah. His father was Oded.

2And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

Azariah went out to meet King Asa. He said, "Listen to me, Asa, and all the people of Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you stay with him. If you look for him, you will find him. But if you walk away from him, he will walk away from you."

3Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

"For a long time Israel had no true God. They had no priest to teach them. A priest was a helper who served God and taught people his rules. And they had no law from God."

4But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

"But when trouble came, they turned back to the LORD, the God of Israel. They looked for him, and they found him."

5And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.

"In those days it was not safe to travel anywhere. Everyone in those lands had fighting and trouble."

6And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.

"One nation crushed another nation. One city crushed another city. God let all kinds of hard things happen to them."

7Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

"So be strong. Do not give up. Your work will be paid back."

8And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.

Asa heard these words from Azariah, a prophet. A prophet was someone who told people what God said. Asa took courage. He got rid of the awful idols in all the land of Judah and Benjamin. He also cleared them out of the towns he had taken in the hills of Ephraim. Then he fixed up the LORD's altar, which stood in front of the porch of God's house. An altar was a stone table where gifts were burned for God.

9And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

Asa called together all the people of Judah and Benjamin. People from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon came too, because they had moved in among them. Many people had left Israel and joined Asa. They came because they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

So they all met together in Jerusalem. It was the third month of Asa's fifteenth year as king.

11And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

That day they gave gifts to the LORD. They gave 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. These animals came from what they had taken in battle.

12And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

Then they made a covenant, a serious promise. They promised to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with their whole heart and soul.

13That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

They agreed that anyone who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death. This was true for young and old, for men and women.

14And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

They made this promise to the LORD out loud. They shouted, and they blew trumpets and rams' horns.

15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.

All Judah was glad about the promise. They had made it with their whole heart. They wanted God and looked for him, and they found him. So the LORD gave them peace all around.

16And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

King Asa also took Maacah, his grandmother, out of her place as queen mother. She had made an awful pole to honor the goddess Asherah. Asa cut the pole down. He smashed it and burned it by the Kidron brook.

17But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

The high places, where people brought gifts on hilltops, were not all taken away in Israel. Even so, Asa's heart belonged fully to God his whole life.

18And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

He brought gifts into God's house. They were silver, gold, and bowls and dishes. He and his father had set them apart for God.

19And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

There was no more war until Asa's thirty-fifth year as king.

1In 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.

It was Asa's thirty-sixth year as king. Baasha, the king of Israel, came to attack Judah. He built up the town of Ramah with strong walls. He wanted to stop people from going in or out of Asa's land.

2Then 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,

So Asa took silver and gold out of the LORD's house and out of his own palace. He sent it to Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, who lived in the city of Damascus. He sent this message with it:

3There 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.

"Let there be an agreement between you and me. Our fathers had one too. Look, I have sent you silver and gold. Now go and break your agreement with Baasha, king of Israel. Then he will leave me alone."

4And 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.

Ben-hadad listened to King Asa. He sent the leaders of his armies to attack the towns of Israel. They took Ijon, Dan, and Abel-maim. They also took all the towns of Naphtali where supplies were kept.

5And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease.

When Baasha heard this news, he stopped building at Ramah. He left the work unfinished.

6Then 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.

Then King Asa gathered all the men of Judah. They carried away the stones and the wood that Baasha had been building with. Asa used them to build up the towns of Geba and Mizpah.