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¹ So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.² And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God:³ for he took away the foreign altars, and the high places, and broke down the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim,⁴ and commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.⁵ Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.⁶ And he built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because Yahweh had given him rest.⁷ For he said to Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us, because we have sought Yahweh our God; we have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.⁸ And Asa had an army that bore bucklers and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, 280,000: all these were mighty men of valor.

⁹ And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and he came to Mareshah.¹⁰ Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.¹¹ And Asa cried to Yahweh his God, and said, Yahweh, there is none besides you to help, between the mighty and him that has no strength: help us, O Yahweh our God; for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Yahweh, you are our God; don't let common man prevail against you.¹² So Yahweh smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.¹³ And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them to Gerar: and there fell of the Ethiopians so many that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before Yahweh, and before his host; and they carried away very much booty.¹⁴ And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of Yahweh came on them: and they despoiled all the cities; for there was much spoil in them.¹⁵ They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep in abundance, and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.