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

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The Prophecy of Azariah, son of Oded.

And the spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will 3 forsake you. Now for long seasons Israel hath been without the true 4 God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: but when in their distress they turned unto the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon 6 all the inhabitants of the lands. And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city: for God did vex them with 7 all adversity. But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack: for 8 your work shall be rewarded. And when Asa heard these words, and

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the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the 9 LORD. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they I saw that the LORD his God was with him. So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth II year of the reign of Asa. And they sacrificed unto the LORD in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven 12 thousand sheep. And they entered into the covenant to seek the

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LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all 13 their soul; and that whosoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether 14 man or woman. And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trum ́15 pets, and with cornets. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.

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And also Maacah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being 'queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it 17 at the brook Kidron. But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his 18 days. And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, 19 and gold, and vessels. And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

Asa's alliance with Ben-hadad against Baasha.

And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa 18 king of Judah. Then Asa took

all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house,

1 Or, queen mother
2 Or, for Asherah

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In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the

1 Or, queen mother
2 Or, for Asherah

and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt 19 at Damascus, saying, 'There is

a league between me and thee, between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart 20 from me. And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-bethmaacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 And it came to pass, when

Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and 22 dwelt in Tirzah. Then king

Asa made a proclamation unto all Judah; none was exempted: and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and king Asa built therewith Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

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king's house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt 3 at 'Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may 4 depart from me. And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and 6 let his work cease. Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.

The Prophecy of Hanani.

1 Or, Let there be

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And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out 8 of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into

1 Heb. Darmesek.

2 Or, Let there be

Heb. storehouses of the cities.

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9 thine hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceIO forth thou shalt have wars. Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the 'prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people II the same time. And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Is12 rael. And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. 13 And Asa slept with his fathers,

and died in the one and fortieth 14 year of his reign. And they

buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art: and they made a very great burning for him.

I Kings 15. 25.

The Prophecy of Jehu, son of Hanani, against Baasha. And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. 27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. 28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and 29 reigned in his stead. And it came to pass that, as soon as he was king,

1 Heb. house of the stocks.

S.

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he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him; according unto the saying of the LORD, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the 30 Shilonite for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin; because of his provocation wherewith he provoked 31 the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger. Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the 32 chronicles of the kings of Israel? And there was war between Asa and

Baasha king of Israel all their days.

33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty and four 34 years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made V16 Israel to sin. And the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of 2 Hanani against Baasha, saying, Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee 'prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, 3 to provoke me to anger with their sins; behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house; and I will make thy house like the house 4 of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the field shall the 5 fowls of the air eat. Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles 6 of the kings of Israel? And Baasha slept with his fathers, and was 7 buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in his stead. And moreover by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he smote 2him.

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Murder of Elah, and Civil War of Omri against Tibni.

In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years. 9 And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of IO Arza, which was over the household in Tirzah and Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa II king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha: he left him not a single man child, neither of his 12 kinsfolks, nor of his friends. Thus did Žimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake against 13 Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and wherewith they made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their 14 vanities. Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

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