Asa Succeeds Abijah in Judah
(1 Kings 15:9-15)
1And Abijah lieth with his fathers, and they bury him in the city of David, and reign doth Asa his son in his stead: in his days was the land quiet ten years.
2And Asa doth that which is good, and that which is right, in the eyes of Jehovah his God, 3and turneth aside the altars of the stranger, and the high places, and breaketh the standing-pillars, and cutteth down the shrines, 4and saith to Judah to seek Jehovah, God of their fathers, and to do the law and the command; 5and he turneth aside out of all cities of Judah the high places and the images, and the kingdom is quiet before him. 6And he buildeth cities of bulwarks in Judah, for the land hath quiet, and there is no war with him in these years, because Jehovah hath given rest to him. 7And he saith to Judah, ‘Let us build these cities, and compass [them] with wall, and towers, two-leaved doors, and bars, while the land [is] before us, because we have sought Jehovah our God, we have sought, and He giveth rest to us round about;’ and they build and prosper. 8And there is to Asa a force bearing target and spear, out of Judah three hundred thousand, and out of Benjamin, bearing shield and treading bow, two hundred and eighty thousand: all these [are] mighty of valour.
9And come out unto them doth Zerah the Cushite with a force of a thousand thousand, and chariots three hundred, and he cometh in unto Mareshah, 10and Asa goeth out before him, and they set battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11And Asa calleth unto Jehovah his God, and saith, ‘Jehovah! it is nothing with Thee to help, between the mighty and those who have no power; help us, O Jehovah, our God, for on Thee we have leant, and in Thy name we have come against this multitude; O Jehovah, our God thou [art]; let him not prevail with Thee—mortal man! 12And Jehovah smiteth the Cushim before Asa, and before Judah, and the Cushim flee, 13and Asa and the people who [are] with him pursue them even to Gerar, and there fall of the Cushim, for they have no preserving, because they have been broken before Jehovah, and before His camp; and they bear away very much spoil, 14and smite all the cities round about Gerar, for a fear of Jehovah hath been upon them, and they spoil all the cities, for abundant spoil hath been in them; 15and also tents of cattle they have smitten, and they capture sheep in abundance, and camels, and turn back to Jerusalem.
