Matthew 1:7

¹So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in David’s city; and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days, the land was quiet ten years. ²Asa did that which was good and right in the LORD his God’s eyes, ³for he took away the foreign altars and the high places, broke down the pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, ⁴and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to obey his law and command. ⁵Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun images; and the kingdom was quiet before him. ⁶He built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given him rest. ⁷For he said to Judah, “Let’s build these cities and make walls around them, with towers, gates, and bars. The land is yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.

⁸Asa had an army of three hundred thousand out of Judah who bore bucklers and spears, and two hundred eighty thousand out of Benjamin who bore shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.

⁹Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million troops and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. ¹⁰Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ¹¹Asa cried to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, there is no one besides you to help, between the mighty and him who has no strength. Help us, LORD our God; for we rely on you, and in your name are we come against this multitude. LORD, you are our God. Don’t let man prevail against you.”

¹²So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. ¹³Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So many of the Ethiopians fell that they could not recover themselves, for they were destroyed before the LORD and before his army. Judah’s army carried away very much booty. ¹⁴They struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came on them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. ¹⁵They also struck the tents of those who had livestock, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, then returned to Jerusalem.

⁸Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in David’s city; and Asa his son reigned in his place.

⁹In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah. ¹⁰He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ¹¹Asa did that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, as David his father did. ¹²He put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah. Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron. ¹⁴But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect with the LORD all his days. ¹⁵He brought into the LORD’s house the things that his father had dedicated, and the things that he himself had dedicated: silver, gold, and utensils.

¹⁶There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ¹⁷Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ¹⁸Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that was left in the treasures of the LORD’s house, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered it into the hand of his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben Hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived at Damascus, saying, ¹⁹“Let there be a treaty between me and you, like that between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.”

²⁰Ben Hadad listened to King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and lived in Tirzah. ²²Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah. No one was exempted. They carried away the stones of Ramah, and its timber, with which Baasha had built; and King Asa used it to build Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. ²³Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.

³¹Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in David’s city. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. Abijam his son reigned in his place.

¹When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the LORD’s law, and all Israel with him.

¹⁰Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, ¹¹Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, ¹²Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, ¹³Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, ¹⁴Amon his son, and Josiah his son.

⁷Worthless men were gathered to him, wicked fellows who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender hearted, and could not withstand them.

³¹Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.