2 Chronicles 16

Asa’s Treaty with Syria

16In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, ^aBaasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, ^bthat he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ²Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, ³“Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

⁴So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. ⁵Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. ⁶Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

Hanani’s Message to Asa

⁷And at that time ^cHanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: ^d“Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. ⁸Were ^ethe Ethiopians and ^fthe Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your ^ghand. ^9hFor the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this ⁱyou have done foolishly; therefore from now on ^jyou shall have wars.” ¹⁰Then Asa was angry with the seer, and ^kput him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

Illness and Death of Asa

^11lNote that the acts of Asa, first and last, are indeed written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹²And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he ^mdid not seek the Lord, but the physicians.

¹³ⁿSo Asa ¹rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴They buried him in his own tomb, which he had ²made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him in the bed which was filled ^owith spices and various ingredients prepared in a mixture of ointments. They made ^pa very great burning for him.