14:2 (14:1) Asa did what the Lord his God desired and approved. 1 14:3 He removed the pagan altars 2 and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. 3 14:4 He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors 4 and to observe his law and commands. 5 14:5 He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule. 6
14:6 He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace. 14:7 He said to the people of Judah: 7 “Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates. 8 The land remains ours because we have followed 9 the Lord our God and he has made us secure on all sides.” 10 So they built the cities 11 and prospered.
14:8 Asa 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. 14:9 Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 12 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah, 14:10 and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
14:11 Asa prayed 13 to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. 14 Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. 15 O Lord our God, don’t let men prevail against you!” 16 14:12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 14:13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out; 17 they were shattered before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah 18 carried off a huge amount of plunder.