| 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 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. |
| 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. |