| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1 When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. There was peace in the land 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. |
| 2 Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the LORD his God. | 2Asa did what the LORD his God desired and approved. |
| 3He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. | 3He removed the pagan altars and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. |
| 4He commanded the people of Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands. | 4He ordered Judah to seek the LORD God of their ancestors and to observe his law and commands. |
| 5Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars from every one of Judah’s towns. So Asa’s kingdom enjoyed a period of peace. | 5He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule. |
| 6During those peaceful years, he was able to build up the fortified towns throughout Judah. No one tried to make war against him at this time, for the LORD was giving him rest from his enemies. | 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. |
| 7Asa told the people of Judah, “Let us build towns and fortify them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours because we sought the LORD our God, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they went ahead with these projects and brought them to completion. | 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. |
| 8King Asa had an army of 300,000 warriors from the tribe of Judah, armed with large shields and spears. He also had an army of 280,000 warriors from the tribe of Benjamin, armed with small shields and bows. Both armies were composed of well-trained fighting men. | 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. |
| 9Once an Ethiopian named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. They advanced to the town of Mareshah, | 9Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah, |
| 10so Asa deployed his armies for battle in the valley north of Mareshah. | 10and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. |
| 11Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, “O LORD, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O LORD, you are our God; do not let mere men 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 in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled. | 12The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, |
| 13Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fell that they were unable to rally. They were destroyed by the LORD and his army, and the army of Judah carried off a vast amount of plunder. | 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. |
| 14While they were at Gerar, they attacked all the towns in that area, and terror from the LORD came upon the people there. As a result, a vast amount of plunder was taken from these towns, too. | 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. |
| 15They also attacked the camps of herdsmen and captured many sheep, goats, and camels before finally returning 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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