2 Chronicles 14

1 When Abijah died, he was buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. His son Asa became the king. While Asa was ruling, there was peace in Judah for ten years.

So Abiiah slept with his fathers, and they buryed him in the citie of Dauid, and Asa his sonne reigned in his steade: in whose dayes the lande was quiet ten yeere.

2 Asa did things that Yahweh his God considers to be right and good.

And Asa did that was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

3 His workers got rid of the altars to worship foreign gods that were on the high hills. They smashed the sacred stone pillars and cut down the poles for worshiping [the goddess] Asherah.

For he tooke away the altars of the strange gods and the hie places, and brake downe the images, and cut downe the groues,

4 Asa commanded the people of Judah to worship [only] Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors worshiped, and to obey his laws and commands.

And commanded Iudah to seeke the Lord God of their fathers, and to doe according to the Lawe and the comandement.

5 His workers destroyed all the shrines on the hilltops and the altars for burning incense [to idols] in every town in Judah. As a result, there was peace while Asa ruled the kingdom [of Judah].

And he tooke away out of all the cities of Iudah the hie places, and the images: therefore the kingdome was quiet before him.

6 His workers built cities and constructed walls around them. No army attacked Judah during that time, because Yahweh enabled them to have peace.

He built also strong cities in Iudah, because the lande was in rest, and he had no warre in those yeeres: for the Lord had giuen him rest.

7 Asa said to the people of Judah, “We should protect these towns by building walls around them, with watchtowers and gates that have bars. This country still belongs to us because we have requested Yahweh our God to help us. We requested him for his help, and he has given us peace in our entire country.” So they built buildings and prospered.

Therefore he saide to Iudah, Let vs builde these cities and make walles about, and towers, gates, and barres, whiles the lande is before vs: because we haue sought the Lord our God, we haue sought him, and he hath giuen vs rest on euery side: so they built and prospered.

8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah. They all carried large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin [in his army]. They carried [smaller] shields, and bows [and arrows]. They were all brave soldiers.

And Asa had an armie of Iudah that bare shieldes and speares, three hundreth thousande, and of Beniamin that bare shieldes and drewe bowes, two hundreth and foure score thousande: all these were valiant men.

9 Zerah, a man from Ethiopia/Sudan, marched with a huge army and 300 chariots to attack [the army of Judah and Benjamin]. They went as far as [the town of] Mareshah [about 25 miles/southwest of Jerusalem].

And there came out against them Zerah of Ethiopia with an hoste of ten hundreth thousande, and three hundreth charets, and came vnto Mareshah.

10 Asa went [with his army] to fight against them, and both armies took their positions in the Zephathah Valley.

Then Asa went out before him, and they set the battell in aray in the valley of Zephathah beside Mareshah.

11 Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God, saying, “Yahweh, there is no one like you who can help those who have very little power to resist a mighty army. Yahweh our God, help us, because we are relying on you; and trusting in you we have come [to fight] against this huge army. Yahweh, you are our God; do not allow anyone to defeat you.”

And Asa cryed vnto the Lord his God, and saide, Lord, it is nothing with thee to helpe with many, or with no power: helpe vs, O Lord our God: for we rest on thee, and in thy Name are we come against this multitude: O Lord, thou art our God, let not man preuaile against thee.

12 Then Yahweh enabled Asa and the army of Judah to defeat the army from Ethiopia. They fled,

So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Iudah, and the Ethiopians fled.

13 and Asa and his army pursued them [to the southwest] as far as Gerar. A huge number of the soldiers from Ethiopia were killed, with the result that those [who were not killed] were unable to fight any more. They were greatly defeated by Yahweh and his army, and the men of Judah carried away a great amount of their possessions.

And Asa and the people that was with him, pursued them vnto Gerar. And the Ethiopians hoste was ouerthrowen, so that there was no life in them: for they were destroyed before the Lord and before his hoste: and they caryed away a mightie great spoyle.

14 The men of Judah were able to destroy the people in villages near Gerar because Yahweh had caused the people there to become terrified [and unable to fight]. The army of Judah took away all the valuable things from those villages.

And they smote all the cities rounde about Gerar: for the feare of the Lord came vpon them, and they spoyled all the cities, for there was exceeding much spoyle in them.

15 They also attacked the places where the local people who took care of domestic animals had set up their tents, and they took away big herds of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Yea, and they smote the tents of cattel, and carried away plentie of sheepe and camels, and returned to Ierusalem.