1 Kings 15:9-24

Common English Bible

Asa rules Judah

⁹ In the twentieth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Asa became king of Judah. ¹⁰ He ruled in Jerusalem for forty-one years. His grandmother’s^[a] name was Maacah; she was Abishalom’s daughter. ¹¹ Asa did the right things in the Lord’s eyes, just like his father David. ¹² He removed the consecrated workers^[b] from the land, and he did away with all the worthless idols that his predecessors had made. ¹³ He even removed his grandmother Maacah from the position of queen mother because she had made an image of Asherah. Asa cut down her image and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ Though the shrines weren’t eliminated, nevertheless Asa remained committed with all his heart to the Lord throughout his life. ¹⁵ He brought into the Lord’s temple the silver and gold equipment that he and his father had dedicated. ¹⁶ There was war between Asa and Israel’s King Baasha throughout their lifetimes. ¹⁷ Israel’s King Baasha attacked Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent Judah’s King Asa from moving into that area.

¹⁸ Asa took all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, and he gave them to his officials. Then King Asa sent them with the following message to Aram’s King Ben-hadad, Tabrimmon’s son and Hezion’s grandson, who ruled from Damascus: ¹⁹ “Let’s make a covenant similar to the one between our fathers. Since I have already sent you a gift of silver and gold, break your covenant with Israel’s King Baasha so that he will leave me alone.” ²⁰ Ben-hadad agreed with King Asa and sent his army commanders against the cities of Israel, attacking Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, along with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ As soon as Baasha learned this, he stopped building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah. ²² King Asa issued an order to every Judean without exception: all the people carried away the stone and timber that Baasha was using to build Ramah, and King Asa used it to build Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah. ²³ The rest of Asa’s deeds, his strength, and all that he did, as well as the towns that he built, aren’t they written in the official records of Judah’s kings? When he was old, Asa developed a severe foot disease. ²⁴ He died and was buried with his ancestors in David’s City.^[c] His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king.