2 Chronicles
Chapter 14
1 Abijah died, and they buried him in the city of David. His son Asa became king after him. During his time, the land was peaceful for ten years.
2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of God.
3 He removed the altars of the foreign gods, the high places, broke the statues, and chopped down the sacred trees.
4 He told Judah to look for the God of their ancestors and to follow the law and the command.
5 He removed the worship sites and idols from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was peaceful under his rule.
6 He built protected cities in Judah because the land was at peace and there was no war during those years; God had given him peace.
7 So he told Judah, “Let’s build these cities and protect them with walls, towers, gates, and bars while we still have open land; because we have looked for God’s help and found it, and he has given us peace all around.” And they built and were successful.
8 Asa had an army with 300,000 men from Judah who carried large shields and spears, and from Benjamin, 280,000 men who carried small shields and used bows. All these were strong and brave warriors.
9 Zerah the Ethiopian came against them with an army of a million and three hundred chariots, and advanced to Mareshah.
10 Then Asa fought against him, and they arranged their armies for battle in Zephathah Valley near Mareshah.
11 Asa called out to God, saying, “God, it’s easy for you to help, whether we have many people or just a few who are weak. Help us, God; we rely on you, and in your name, we face this large group. You are our God; don’t let anyone defeat you.”
12 God struck down the Ethiopians in front of Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians ran away.
13 Asa and his followers chased them to Gerar, and the Ethiopians were beaten so badly they couldn’t fight back; because they were defeated by God and his army, and Asa and his people took a lot of their things.
14 They attacked all the cities near Gerar because they were afraid of God, and they robbed all the cities, as there was a lot to take.
15 They also attacked the animal tents, took many sheep and camels, and went back to Jerusalem.