1(13:23) And Abiyah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Assa his son became king in his stead. In his days the land had repose ten years.

2(14:1) And Assa did what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

3(14:2) And he removed the altars of the strange [gods], and the high-places, and broke up the statues, and cut down the groves;

4(14:3) And he ordered Judah to seek the Lord the God of their fathers, and to execute the law and the commandment.

5(14:4) Also he removed out of all the cities of Judah the high-places and the sun-images: and the kingdom had repose before him.

6(14:5) And he built fortified cities in Judah; for the land had repose, and no one had war with him in those years; because the Lord had given him rest.

7(14:6) Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and surround them with walls, and towers, gates, and bars: the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God,—we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

8(14:7) And Assa had an army that bore targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew the bow, two hundred and eighty thousand: all these were mighty men of valor.

9(14:8) And there came out against them Zerach the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand times thousand, and three hundred chariots; and he came as far as Mareshah.

10(14:9) Then went Assa out against him, and they set themselves in battle-array in the valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

11(14:10) And Assa called unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, nothing can hinder thee to help, whether it be the mighty, or those that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for on thee do we rely, and in thy name are we come against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God! no mortal can place a restraint against thee.

12(14:11) Thereupon did the Lord strike down the Ethiopians before Assa, and before Judah: and the Ethiopians fled.

13(14:12) And Assa and the people that were with him pursued them as far as Gerar: and there fell of the Ethiopians [so many], that they could not recover themselves; for they were broken down before the Lord, and before his camp; and they carried away exceedingly much booty.

14(14:13) And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the dread of the Lord was upon them: and they plundered all the cities; for abundant spoil was in them.

15(14:14) And also the tents of [the owners of] cattle did they smite, and they carried away sheep in abundance, and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.