CHAPTER 14
1And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 2And he removed the foreign altars and the high places and shattered the cultic pillars and hacked down the cultic poles. 3And he told Judah to seek the LORD, God of their fathers, and to do the teaching and the commands. 4And he removed the high places and the incense stands from all the towns of Judah, and the kingdom before him was quiet. 5And he built fortress towns in Judah, for the land was quiet, and he faced no war in those years, as the LORD had granted him respite. 6And he said to Judah, “Let us build up these towns and circle them with walls and towers, double doors and bolts, while the land is before us, for we sought the LORD our God. We sought, and He granted us respite all around.” And they built and prospered. 7And Asa had a force of three hundred thousand men bearing spears and shields, and from Benjamin, two hundred eighty thousand bearing bucklers and drawing the bow. All of these were valiant warriors. 8And Zerah the Cushite sallied forth with a force of a million, and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. 9And Asa sallied forth against him, and they deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephita by Mareshah. 10And Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, with You there is no difference whether to help the great or the powerless. Help us, LORD our God, for we have relied on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. Let no mortal hold You back.” 11And the LORD routed the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled. 12And Asa pursued them, together with the troops who were with him, as far as Gerar. And many of the Cushites fell, unable to revive, for they were broken before the LORD and before His camp. And they bore off very abundant booty. 13And they struck the towns around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD was upon them, and they plundered all the towns, for there was much to plunder in them. 14And tents of herdsmen they struck as well and captured sheep in abundance and camels. And they went back to Jerusalem.