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 Dormivit autem Abia cum patribus suis, et sepelierunt eum in civitate David : regnavitque Asa filius ejus pro eo, in cujus diebus quievit terra annis decem. 2 Fecit autem Asa quod bonum et placitum erat in conspectu Dei sui, et subvertit altaria peregrini cultus, et excelsa. 3 Et confregit statuas, lucosque succidit : 4 et prcepit Jud ut qureret Dominum Deum patrum suorum, et faceret legem, et universa mandata : 5 et abstulit de cunctis urbibus Juda aras et fana, et regnavit in pace. 6 dificavit quoque urbes munitas in Juda, quia quietus erat, et nulla temporibus ejus bella surrexerant, pacem Domino largiente. 7 Dixit autem Jud : dificemus civitates istas, et vallemus muris, et roboremus turribus, et portis, et seris, donec a bellis quieta sunt omnia, eo quod qusierimus Dominum Deum patrum nostrorum, et dederit nobis pacem per gyrum. dificaverunt igitur, et nullum in exstruendo impedimentum fuit. 8 Habuit autem Asa in exercitu suo portantium scuta et hastas de Juda trecenta millia, de Benjamin vero scutariorum et sagittariorum ducenta octoginta millia : omnes isti viri fortissimi.9 Egressus est autem contra eos Zara thiops cum exercitu suo, decies centena millia, et curribus trecentis : et venit usque Maresa. 10 Porro Asa perrexit obviam ei, et instruxit aciem ad bellum in valle Sephata, qu est juxta Maresa : 11 et invocavit Dominum Deum, et ait : Domine, non est apud te ulla distantia, utrum in paucis auxilieris, an in pluribus. Adjuva nos, Domine Deus noster : in te enim, et in tuo nomine habentes fiduciam, venimus contra hanc multitudinem. Domine, Deus noster tu es : non prvaleat contra te homo. 12 Exterruit itaque Dominus thiopes coram Asa et Juda : fugeruntque thiopes. 13 Et persecutus est eos Asa, et populus qui cum eo erat, usque Gerara : et ruerunt thiopes usque ad internecionem, quia Domino cdente contriti sunt, et exercitu illius prliante. Tulerunt ergo spolia multa, 14 et percusserunt civitates omnes per circuitum Gerar : grandis quippe cunctos terror invaserat : et diripuerunt urbes, et multam prdam asportaverunt. 15 Sed et caulas ovium destruentes, tulerunt pecorum infinitam multitudinem, et camelorum : reversique sunt in Jerusalem.