Asa
1Asa did what is good and right in the eyes of Yahweh. 2He removed the altars of foreign worship and the High places. He broke down the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah’s trunks. 3He commanded the people of Judah to do the will of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and to observe the Law and its commands. 4He removed the High places and the altars of incense in every town of Judah. The kingdom was at peace under his rule. 5He rebuilt the fortified towns of Judah, since the country was at peace, and there was no war during those years, for Yahweh granted him peace.
6He told the people of Judah, “Let us rebuild these towns and surround them with walls and towers, with gates and bars while we have control of this land, since we have done the will of Yahweh our God; and he has protected us and given us peace on every side.”
7They built and prospered. Asa had an army of three hundred thousand Judaeans armed with buckler and spear, and two hundred eighty thousand Benjaminites bearing shield and wielding the bow, all of them brave, well-trained men.
8Zerah the Cushite, with an army one million strong and three hundred chariots, made an incursion which reached to Mareshah. 9Asa marched against him and drew up his battle line in the Valley of Zephathah, at Mareshah. 10He called on Yahweh, his God, “Yahweh, 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 fight against this huge army in your name. Yahweh, you are our God. Let no one defeat you.”
11Yahweh defeated the Cushites when Asa and the Judaean army attacked them. The Cushites fled, 12and Asa pursued them with his army as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell even to the last for they had been overpowered by Yahweh and his camp. They collected great amounts of loot. 13They conquered all the towns in the area of Gerar, for the terror of Yahweh had fallen on these towns and they plundered them all since they were full of loot. 14They also attacked the camps of some shepherds and carried off great numbers of sheep and camels; then they returned to Jerusalem.
