| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. | 1Abijah passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign the land had rest for ten years. |
| 2And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. | 2Asa did what the LORD his God desired and approved. |
| 3He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim | 3He removed the pagan altars and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. |
| 4and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. | 4He ordered Judah to seek the LORD God of their ancestors and to observe his law and commands. |
| 5He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. | 5He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule. |
| 6He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace. | 6He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the LORD gave him peace. |
| 7And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. | 7He said to the people of Judah: "Let's build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates. The land remains ours because we have followed the LORD our God and he has made us secure on all sides." So they built the cities and prospered. |
| 8And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor. | 8Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors. |
| 9Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. | 9Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah, |
| 10And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. | 10and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. |
| 11And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” | 11Asa prayed to the LORD his God: "O LORD, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. O LORD our God, don't let men prevail against you!" |
| 12So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. | 12The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, |
| 13Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah carried away very much spoil. | 13and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out; they were shattered before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah carried off a huge amount of plunder. |
| 14And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. | 14They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the LORD caused them to panic. The men of Judah looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount of goods. |
| 15And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem. | 15They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock. They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem. |
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