[1] (13:23) Abijah passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign the land had rest for ten years. [2] (14:1) Asa did what the LORD his God desired and approved. [3] He removed the pagan altars and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. [4] He ordered Judah to seek the LORD God of their ancestors and to observe his law and commands. [5] He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the towns of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule. [6] He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the LORD gave him peace. [7] He said to the people of Judah: "Let's build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates. The land remains ours because we have followed the LORD our God; we have followed him, and he has made us secure on all sides." So they built the cities and prospered. [8] Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors. [9] Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots . He arrived at Mareshah, [10] and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. [11] Asa prayed to the LORD his God: "O LORD, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. O LORD, you are our God; don't let men prevail against you!" [12] The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, [13] and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out; they were shattered before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah carried off a huge amount of plunder. [14] They defeated all the towns surrounding Gerar, for the LORD caused them to panic. The men of Judah looted all the towns, for they contained a huge amount of goods. [15] They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock. They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem.
