¹And Abijah lay down with his fathers, and they interred him in the city of David, and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land rested ten years.

²And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God.

³He removed the foreign altars and the high places, broke down the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.

⁴And he told Judah to inquire of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and to do the instruction and the commandment.

⁵And he removed from all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-pillars, and the kingdom rested before his face.

⁶He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land rested, and there was no war with him in those years, because Yahweh gave him rest.

⁷And he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities and surround them with a wall and towers, doors and bars. The land is still before us, because we have inquired of Yahweh our God; we inquired, and he has given us rest all around." So they built and succeeded.

⁸And Asa had an army carrying shield and spear from Judah, three hundred thousand, and from Benjamin those who carry a shield and those who bend a bow, two hundred and eighty thousand; all of these were mighty men of valor.

⁹And Zerah the Cushite went forth against them with an army of a thousand thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.

¹⁰And Asa went forth before his face, and they set the battle in order in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

¹¹And Asa called to Yahweh his God and said, "O Yahweh, there is no one beside you to help between the great and the one with no strength. Help us, O Yahweh our God, for on you we have leaned, and in your name we have come against this horde. O Yahweh, you are our God; let no mortal man hold his own against you."

¹²And Yahweh struck the Cushites before the face of Asa and before the face of Judah, and the Cushites fled.

¹³And Asa and the people who were with him ran after them as far as Gerar, and so many Cushites fell that none of them could be kept alive, for they had been broken before the face of Yahweh and before the face of his camp. And they carried off plunder in very great quantity.

¹⁴And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of Yahweh was over them, and they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.

¹⁵And they also struck the tents of the livestock, and took captive flocks in multitude, and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.