1 And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.3 He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. [^2]4 He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.5 He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.6 He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the LORD gave him rest.7 "Let us build up these towns," he said to Judah, "and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered.8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.9 Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.10 Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.11 Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you."12 The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,13 and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the LORD and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.14 They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the LORD had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there.15 They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

1 ثم اضطجع ابيا مع آبائه فدفنوه في مدينة داود وملك آسا ابنه عوضا عنه. في ايامه استراحت الارض عشر سنين2 وعمل آسا ما هو صالح ومستقيم في عيني الرب الهه.3 ونزع المذابح الغريبة والمرتفعات وكسر التماثيل وقطع السواري4 وقال ليهوذا ان يطلبوا الرب اله آبائهم وان يعملوا حسب الشريعة والوصية.5 ونزع من كل مدن يهوذا المرتفعات وتماثيل الشمس واستراحت المملكة امامه.6 وبنى مدنا حصينة في يهوذا لان الارض استراحت ولم تكن عليه حرب في تلك السنين لان الرب اراحه.7 وقال ليهوذا لنبن هذه المدن ونحوّطها باسوار وابراج وابواب وعوارض ما دامت الارض امامنا لاننا قد طلبنا الرب الهنا. طلبناه فاراحنا من كل جهة. فبنوا ونجحوا.8 وكان لآسا جيش يحملون اتراسا ورماحا من يهوذا ثلاث مئة الف ومن بنيامين من الذين يحملون الاتراس ويشدّون القسي مئتان وثمانون الفا. كل هؤلاء جبابرة بأس9 فخرج اليهم زارح الكوشي بجيش الف الف وبمركبات ثلاث مئة واتى الى مريشة.10 وخرج آسا للقائه واصطفوا للقتال في وادي صفاتة عند مريشة.11 ودعا آسا الرب الهه وقال ايها الرب ليس فرقا عندك ان تساعد الكثيرين ومن ليس لهم قوة. فساعدنا ايها الرب الهنا لاننا عليك اتكلنا وباسمك قدمنا على هذا الجيش. ايها الرب انت الهنا. لا يقو عليك انسان.12 فضرب الرب الكوشيين امام آسا وامام يهوذا فهرب الكوشيون.13 وطردهم آسا والشعب الذي معه الى جرار وسقط من الكوشيين حتى لم يكن لهم حيّ لانهم انكسروا امام الرب وامام جيشه. فحملوا غنيمة كثيرة جدا.14 وضربوا جميع المدن التي حول جرار لان رعب الرب كان عليهم ونهبوا كل المدن لانه كان فيها نهب كثير.15 وضربوا ايضا خيام الماشية وساقوا غنما كثيرا وجمالا ثم رجعوا الى اورشليم