| Berean Study Bible | NET Bible |
| 1Then Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And his son Asa reigned in his place, and in his days the land was at peace for ten years. | 1Abijah passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign the land had rest for ten years. |
| 2And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. | 2Asa did what the LORD his God desired and approved. |
| 3He removed the foreign altars and high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and chopped down the Asherah poles. | 3He removed the pagan altars and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. |
| 4He commanded the people of Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandments. | 4He ordered Judah to seek the LORD God of their ancestors and to observe his law and commands. |
| 5He also removed the high places and incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and under him the kingdom was at peace. | 5He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule. |
| 6Because the land was at peace, Asa built fortified cities in Judah. In those days no one made war with him, because the LORD had given him rest. | 6He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the LORD gave him peace. |
| 7So he said to the people of Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, with doors and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought Him and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. | 7He said to the people of Judah: "Let's build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates. The land remains ours because we have followed the LORD our God and he has made us secure on all sides." So they built the cities and prospered. |
| 8Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin bearing small shields and drawing the bow. All these were mighty men of valor. | 8Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors. |
| 9Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots, and they advanced as far as Mareshah. | 9Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah, |
| 10So Asa marched out against him and lined up in battle formation in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. | 10and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. |
| 11Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.” | 11Asa prayed to the LORD his God: "O LORD, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. O LORD our God, don't let men prevail against you!" |
| 12So the LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled. | 12The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, |
| 13Then Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell and could not recover, for they were crushed before the LORD and His army. So the people of Judah carried off a great amount of plunder | 13and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out; they were shattered before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah carried off a huge amount of plunder. |
| 14and attacked all the cities around Gerar, because the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them. They plundered all the cities, since there was much plunder there. | 14They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the LORD caused them to panic. The men of Judah looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount of goods. |
| 15They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen and carried off many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem. | 15They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock. They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem. |
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