2 Chronicles 14 (NET)

1 1 Abijah passed away2 and was buried in the City of David.3 His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign4 the land had rest for ten years.

Asa’s Religious and Military Accomplishments

2 Asa did what the Lord his God desired and approved.5 3 He removed the pagan altars6 and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.7 4 He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors8 and to observe his law and commands.9 5 He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule.10

6 He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace. 7 He said to the people of Judah:11 “Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates.12 The land remains ours because we have followed13 the Lord our God and he has made us secure on all sides.”14 So they built the cities15 and prospered.

8 Asa 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. 9 Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,00016 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah, 10 and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

11 Asa prayed17 to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered.18 Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army.19 O Lord our God, don’t let men prevail against you!”20 12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out;21 they were shattered before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah22 carried off a huge amount of plunder. 14 They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the Lord caused them to panic.23 The men of Judah24 looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount of goods.25 15 They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock.26 They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem.27

1sn Beginning with 14:1, the verse numbers through 14:15 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 14:1 ET = 13:23 HT, 14:2 ET = 14:1 HT, 14:3 ET = 14:2 HT, etc., through 14:15 ET = 14:14 HT. Beginning with 15:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same. 2tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” 3sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7. 4tn Heb “in his days.” 5tn Heb “and Asa did the good and the right in the eyes of the Lord his God.” 6tn Heb “the altars of the foreigner.” 7sn Asherah poles. A leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon was Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles (Hebrew אֲשֵׁרִים [’asherim], as here). They were to be burned or cut down (Deut 7:5; 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4). 8tn Heb “fathers.” 9tn Heb “the law and the command.” 10tn Heb “before him.” 11tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. 12tn Heb “and we will surround [them] with wall[s] and towers, doors, and bars.” 13tn Heb “sought.” 14tn Heb “and he has given us rest all around.” 15tn The words “the cities” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. 16tn Heb “a thousand thousands.” 17tn Heb “called out.” 18tn Heb “there is not with you to help between many with regard to [the one] without strength.” 19tn Heb “and in your name we have come against this multitude.” 20tn Heb “let not man retain [strength] with you.” 21tn Heb “and there fell from the Cushites so that there was not to them preservation of life.” 22tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 23tn Heb “for the terror of the Lord was upon them.” 24tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 25tn Heb “for great plunder was in them.” 26tn Heb “and also they struck down the tents of the livestock.” 27map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.