2 Chronicles14

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¹And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.

²Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

³He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.

⁴He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.

⁵He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.

⁶He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.

⁷“Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.

⁸Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.

⁹Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.

¹⁰Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

¹¹Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”

¹²The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,

¹³and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.

¹⁴They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there.

¹⁵They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Asa's piety, He strengthens his kingdom. (1-15).

vv1-15

Asa aimed at pleasing God, and studied to approve himself to him. Happy those that walk by this rule, not to do that which is right in their own eyes, or in the eye of the world, but which is so in God's sight. We find by experience that it is good to seek the Lord; it gives us rest; while we pursue the world, we meet with nothing but vexation. Asa consulted with his people how to make a good use of the peace they enjoyed; and concluded with them that they must not be idle, nor secure. A formidable army of Ethiopians invaded Asa's kingdom. This evil came upon them, that their faith in God might be tried. Asa's prayer is short, but it is the real language of faith and expectation from God. When we go forth in God's name, we cannot but prosper, and all things work together for the good of those whom he favours.

Key Words

AbijahH29Hebrew

אֲבִיָּה: Abijah, the name of several Israelite men and two Israelitesses

sleptH7901Hebrew

שָׁכַב: to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose)

fathersH1Hebrew

אָב: father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application

buriedH6912Hebrew

קָבַר: to inter

cityH5892Hebrew

עִיר: a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)

DavidH1732Hebrew

דָּוִד: David, the youngest son of Jesse

AsaH609Hebrew

אָסָא: Asa, the name of a king and of a Levite

sonH1121Hebrew

בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)

reignedH4427Hebrew

מָלַךְ: to reign; inceptively, to ascend the throne; causatively, to induct into royalty; hence (by implication) to take counsel

placeH8478Hebrew

תַּחַת: the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc.