14 *So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and aAsa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.

2 *And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God: 3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and bthe high places, and brake down the †images, and ccut down the groves: 4 And commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. 5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah bthe high places and the †images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. 6 And he built dfenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in ethose years; because the Lord had given him rest. 7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them fwalls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and ghe hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered. 8 And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah hthree hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and idrew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.

9 And there came out against them Zerah jthe Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto kMareshah. 10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of lZephathah at kMareshah. 11 And Asa mcried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nnothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we orest on thee, and pin thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not ||man qprevail against thee. 12 So the Lord rsmote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. 13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto sGerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not trecover themselves; for they were †destroyed before the Lord, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil. 14 And they smote all the cities round about sGerar; for uthe fear of the Lord came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them. 15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.