Asa King of Judah

⁹ During the twentieth year Jeroboam was king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah. ¹⁰ His ·grandmother’s [mother’s; ^Cin the sense of ancestor] name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom [15:2]. Asa ruled in Jerusalem for forty-one years.

¹¹ Asa did what ·the Lord said was right [^Lwas right in the eyes/sight of the Lord], as his ·ancestor [^Lfather] David had done. ¹² He ·forced the male prostitutes at the worship places to leave the country [expelled/banished the male cult prostitutes from the land; 14:24]. He also took away the idols that his ·ancestors [fathers] had made. ¹³ His ·grandmother [mother; ancestor] Maacah had made a ·terrible [obscene; repulsive; abominable] Asherah ·idol [pole; 14:15], so Asa removed her from being queen mother. He cut down ·that idol [her obscene/repulsive/abominable image/pole] and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ The ·places of worship to gods [^Lhigh places; 3:2] were not removed. Even so, Asa was ·faithful [devoted; true] to the Lord all his life. ¹⁵ Asa brought into the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord the gifts he and his father had ·given [dedicated]: gold, silver, and utensils.

¹⁶ There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all ·the time they were kings [their days]. ¹⁷ Baasha ·attacked [invaded; ^Lwent up against] Judah, and he ·made the town of Ramah strong [fortified Ramah] so he could keep people from leaving or entering ·Judah, Asa’s country [^LAsa, king of Judah].

¹⁸ Asa took the rest of the silver and gold from the treasuries of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord and ·his own palace [^Lthe treasuries of the king’s house] and gave it to his ·officers [officials; servants]. Then he sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, who was the son of Hezion. Ben-Hadad was the king of Aram and ·ruled [lived] in the city of Damascus. Asa said, ¹⁹ “Let there be a treaty between you and me as there was between my father and your father. I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will ·leave my land [withdraw from me].”

²⁰ Ben-Hadad ·agreed with [listened to] King Asa, so he sent the commanders of his armies ·to attack [against] the towns of Israel. They defeated the towns of Ijon, Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, as well as all ·Galilee [^LKinnereth] and the area of Naphtali. ²¹ When Baasha heard about these attacks, he stopped ·building up [fortifying] Ramah and ·returned [withdrew] to Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa gave an ·order [proclamation] to all the people of Judah; everyone had to help carry away all the stones and ·wood [timber] Baasha had used in building Ramah, and they used them to build up Geba and Mizpah in the land of Benjamin.

²³ Everything else Asa did—his ·victories [power] and the cities he built—·is [^Lare they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Judah. When he became old, he got a disease in his feet. ²⁴ After Asa ·died [^Llay down/^Tslept with his fathers/ancestors], he was buried with his ·ancestors [fathers] in the City of David [^CJerusalem], his ·ancestor [father]. Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, ·became king [reigned] in his place.