2 Chronicles 14

1 So 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.2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God:3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:s4 And commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.s

6 And 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.7 Therefore 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.8 And 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.

9 And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.11 And 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.s12 So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.13 And 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.s14 And 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.15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 14

1 Abijah lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king. In Asa’s time the land had peace for ten years.

King Asa of Judah—1 Kings 15:9–15

2 Asa did what the Lord his God considered good and right.3 He got rid of the altars of foreign gods, broke down the sacred stones, and cut down the poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah.4 He told the people of Judah to dedicate their lives to serving the Lord God of their ancestors and follow his teachings and commands.

5 He got rid of the illegal places of worship and the altars for incense in all the cities of Judah. The kingdom was at peace during his reign.
6 He built fortified cities in Judah because the land had peace. There was no war during those years because the Lord gave him a time of peace.

7 So Asa told Judah, “Let’s build these cities and make walls around them with towers and doors that can be barred. The country is still ours because we have dedicated our lives to serving the Lord our God. We have dedicated our lives to him, and he has surrounded us with peace.” So they built the cities, and everything went well.
8 Asa had an army of 300,000 Judeans who were armed with large shields and spears and 280,000 Benjaminites who were armed with small shields and bows. All of these men were good fighting men.9 Then Zerah from Sudan came with 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots to attack Asa. Zerah got as far as Mareshah.

10 Asa went to confront him, and the two armies set up their battle lines in the Zephathah Valley at Mareshah.
11 Asa called on the Lord his God. He said, “Lord, there is no one except you who can help those who are not strong so that they can fight against a large army. Help us, Lord our God, because we are depending on you. In your name we go against this large crowd. You are the Lord our God. Don’t let anyone successfully oppose you.”12 The Lord attacked the Sudanese army in front of Asa and Judah. The Sudanese army fled.13 Asa and his troops pursued them as far as Gerar. Many of the Sudanese died in battle. As a result, the Sudanese army couldn’t fight again. It was crushed in front of the Lord and his army. The Lord’s army captured a lot of goods.14 It attacked all the cities around Gerar because the cities were afraid of the Lord. The army looted all the cities because there were many things to take.

15 It also attacked those who were letting their cattle graze and captured many sheep and camels. Then it returned to Jerusalem.