Chapter 14 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.
And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.
For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and broke down
the images, and cut down the groves, and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God
of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images,
and the kingdom was quiet before him.
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.
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.
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.
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian, with an host of a thousand
thousand and three hundred chariots, and came unto Meresha.
Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the
valley of Zephathah at Meresha.
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 men prevail against thee.
So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians
fled.
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.
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.
They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in
abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.