2Chronicles:14-15

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* So Abi 'jah 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 had rest for ten years . * And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God . * He took away the foreign altars and the high places , and broke down the pillars and hewed down the Ashe 'rim , * and commanded Judah to seek the LORD , the God of their fathers , and to keep the law and the commandment . * He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars . And the kingdom had rest under him . * He built fortified cities in Judah , for the land had rest . He had no war in those years , for the LORD gave him peace . * And he said to Judah , "Let us build these cities , and surround them with walls and towers , gates and bars ; the land is still ours , because we have sought the LORD our God ; we have sought him , and he has given us peace on every side ." So they built and prospered . * And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah , armed with bucklers and spears , and two hundred and eighty thousand men from Benjamin , that carried shields and drew bows ; all these were mighty men of valor . * Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots , and came as far as Mare 'shah . * And Asa went out to meet him , and they drew up their lines of battle in the valley of Zeph 'athah at Mare 'shah . * And Asa cried to the LORD his God , "O LORD , there is none like thee to help , between the mighty and the weak . Help us , O LORD our God , for we rely on thee , and in thy name we have come against this multitude . O LORD , thou art our God ; let not man prevail against thee ." * So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah , and the Ethiopians fled . * Asa and the people that were with him pursued them as far as Gerar , and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive ; for they were broken before the LORD and his army . The men of Judah carried away very much booty . * And they smote all the cities round about Gerar , for the fear of the LORD was upon them . They plundered all the cities , for there was much plunder in them . * And they smote the tents of those who had cattle , and carried away sheep in abundance and camels . Then they returned to Jerusalem . * The Spirit of God came upon Azari 'ah the son of Oded , * and he went out to meet Asa , and said to him , "Hear me , Asa , and all Judah and Benjamin : The LORD is with you , while you are with him . If you seek him , he will be found by you , but if you forsake him , he will forsake you . * For a long time Israel was without the true God , and without a teaching priest , and without law ; * but when in their distress they turned to the LORD , the God of Israel , and sought him , he was found by them . * In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in , for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands . * They were broken in pieces , nation against nation and city against city , for God troubled them with every sort of distress . * But you , take courage ! Do not let your hands be weak , for your work shall be rewarded ." * When Asa heard these words , the prophecy of Azari 'ah the son of Oded , he took courage , and put away the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the hill country of E 'phraim , and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD . * And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin , and those from E 'phraim , Manas 'seh , and Simeon who were sojourning with them , for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him . * They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa . * They sacrificed to the LORD on that day , from the spoil which they had brought , seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep . * And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD , the God of their fathers , with all their heart and with all their soul ; * and that whoever would not seek the LORD , the God of Israel , should be put to death , whether young or old , man or woman . * They took oath to the LORD with a loud voice , and with shouting , and with trumpets , and with horns . * And all Judah rejoiced over the oath ; for they had sworn with all their heart , and had sought him with their whole desire , and he was found by them , and the LORD gave them rest round about . * Even Ma 'acah , his mother , King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Ashe 'rah . Asa cut down her image , crushed it , and burned it at the brook Kidron . * But the high places were not taken out of Israel . Nevertheless the heart of Asa was blameless all his days . * And he brought into the house of God the votive gifts of his father and his own votive gifts , silver , and gold , and vessels . * And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa . * In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa , Ba 'asha king of Israel went up against Judah , and built Ramah , that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah .

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