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Chapter 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: |
| 4 | 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. |
|
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 valor. |
| 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 no man prevail against thee. |
| 12 | 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. |
| 14 | 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. |
