(1 Kings 15:9–15)
1
So Abiiah slept with his fathers, and they buryed him in the citie of Dauid, and Asa his sonne reigned in his steade: in whose dayes the lande was quiet ten yeere.
2
And Asa did that was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.
3
For he tooke away the altars of the strange gods and the hie places, and brake downe the images, and cut downe the groues,
4
And commanded Iudah to seeke the Lord God of their fathers, and to doe according to the Lawe and the comandement.
5
And he tooke away out of all the cities of Iudah the hie places, and the images: therefore the kingdome was quiet before him.
6
He built also strong cities in Iudah, because the lande was in rest, and he had no warre in those yeeres: for the Lord had giuen him rest.
7
Therefore he saide to Iudah, Let vs builde these cities and make walles about, and towers, gates, and barres, whiles the lande is before vs: because we haue sought the Lord our God, we haue sought him, and he hath giuen vs rest on euery side: so they built and prospered.
8
And Asa had an armie of Iudah that bare shieldes and speares, three hundreth thousande, and of Beniamin that bare shieldes and drewe bowes, two hundreth and foure score thousande: all these were valiant men.
9
And there came out against them Zerah of Ethiopia with an hoste of ten hundreth thousande, and three hundreth charets, and came vnto Mareshah.
10
Then Asa went out before him, and they set the battell in aray in the valley of Zephathah beside Mareshah.
11
And Asa cryed vnto the Lord his God, and saide, Lord, it is nothing with thee to helpe with many, or with no power: helpe vs, O Lord our God: for we rest on thee, and in thy Name are we come against this multitude: O Lord, thou art our God, let not man preuaile against thee.
12
So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Iudah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13
And Asa and the people that was with him, pursued them vnto Gerar. And the Ethiopians hoste was ouerthrowen, so that there was no life in them: for they were destroyed before the Lord and before his hoste: and they caryed away a mightie great spoyle.
14
And they smote all the cities rounde about Gerar: for the feare of the Lord came vpon them, and they spoyled all the cities, for there was exceeding much spoyle in them.
15
Yea, and they smote the tents of cattel, and carried away plentie of sheepe and camels, and returned to Ierusalem.