Second Book of Chronicles 14

¹ Asa did what is good and right in the eyes of Yahweh.

² He abolished the foreign altars and the high places, broke the pillars, cut down the sacred poles,

³ and urged the Judaeans to look to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and to observe law and commandment.

⁴ He abolished the high places and the altars of incense in every town of Judah. The kingdom was at peace under his rule.

⁵ He rebuilt the fortified towns of Judah, since the country was at peace and free of war during those years, Yahweh having granted him peace.

⁶ ‘Let us rebuild these towns,’ he told Judah ‘let us surround them with wall and tower, with gate and bar; we shall be left in this land, since we have looked to Yahweh our God; and he has looked to us and given us peace on every side.’ They built and prospered.

⁷ Asa had an army of three hundred thousand Judaeans armed with buckler and spear, and two hundred and eighty thousand Benjaminites bearing shield and wielding the bow, all of them valiant champions.

⁸ Zerah the Cushite and an army one million strong with three hundred chariots made an incursion, and penetrated to Mareshah.

⁹ Asa marched out to intercept him and drew up his battle line in the Valley of Zephathah, at Mareshah.

¹⁰ He called on Yahweh, his God. ‘Yahweh,’ he said ‘no one but you can stand up for the powerless against the powerful. Come to our help, Yahweh our God! We rely on you, and confront this horde in your name. Yahweh, you are our God. Let man leave everything to you!’

¹¹ Yahweh defeated the Cushites before Asa and the Judaeans, the Cushites fled,

¹² and Asa pursued them with his army as far as Gerar. So many of the Cushites fell that recovery was impossible, for they had been shattered before Yahweh and his army. They collected great quantities of booty,

¹³ they conquered all the towns in the area of Gerar, for the terror of Yahweh had fallen on these; they plundered them all since they were full of loot.

¹⁴ They also set on the enclosures of livestock and carried off great numbers of sheep and camels; then they returned to Jerusalem.