Asa Makes a Treaty with Syria’s King |
2 Chronicles 16:1-14 2 Chronicles in [Smaller Chunks] |
In the 36th year Asa [ruled,] Baasha, [Israel’s] king, built Ramah [next to] Judah, [with] the intent that he might not let [anyone] go out or come in to Asa, [Judah’s] king. |
Then, Asa brought out the silver & gold treasures [from] the [Lord’s] house & the king’s [palace.] [Asa] sent [to] Damascus to Ben Hadad, [Syria’s] king, [who lived there,] saying, [Let] there [be] a treaty between you & me [like] there was between my father & your father. [Look,] I have sent you silver & gold. |
Go, break your [treaty] with Baasa, [Israel’s] king, [so] that he may depart from me. And Ben Hadad [listened] to king Asa & sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. And they [attacked] Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim & all the [storage] cities of Naphtali. |
And it [happened,] when Baasha heard it, he [stopped] building Ramah & let his work [stop.] Then, king Asa took all Judah & they carried away the stones of Ramah & [its] the timber, [with which] Baasha was [using for] building. And [Baasha used these to build] Gerar & Mizpah. |
At that time, Hanani, the seer came to Asa, [Judah’s] king, & said to him, Because you have relied on the king of Syria & not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the [army] of [Syria’s] king escaped out of your hand. [1 Samuel 9:9 ([Before this time,] in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he [spoke this,] Come, let’s go to the Seer: for he, [who] is now called a Prophet, [before this time] was called a Seer.)] |
Weren’t the Ethiopians & Lubims a huge [army] with many chariots & horsemen? Yet, because you [relied] on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. |
[2 Chronicles 14:9-12 And there came out against them Zerah, the Ethiopian, with an [army] of 1,300 chariots & came to Mareshah. And Asa cried [out] to the Lord his God & said, Lord, It is nothing [for] You to help, whether with many, or with [those who are powerless to] help us, O Lord our God. |
For we rest on You & in Your Name, we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God. [Don’t] let man prevail against You. So, the Lord [struck] the Ethiopians [in front of] Asa & Judah & the Ethiopians fled.] |
For the eyes of the Lord run to & fro throughout the whole earth, to [show] Himself strong [on] behalf of [those] whose heart is [without blame] toward Him. [In this,] you have done foolishly. Therefore, from [now on] you shall have wars. |
Then, Asa was [ angry] with the seer, & put him in prison, [because of his] rage [about] this thing. And Asa [also] oppressed some of the people [during] the same time. And [see,] the [actions] of Asa, 1st & last are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah & Israel. |
In the 39th year Asa [ruled,] his feet [were] diseased, until his disease was [exceedingly] great, [but] he [didn’t turn to] the Lord [with] his disease, but to the physicians. And Asa died & slept with his [forefathers] in the 41st year he [ruled.] |
And they buried [Asa] in his own [tomb,] which he had made for himself in the city of David & [they] laid him in the [coffin,] which was filled with sweet [perfumes & various] kinds of spices prepared by the [apothecaries.] And they made a very [large] burning for him. |