1 Then Abijah rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And his son Asa reigned in his place, and in his days the land was at peace for ten years.

2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3He removed the foreign altars and high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and chopped down the Asherah poles. 4He commanded the people of Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandments. 5He also removed the high places and incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and under him the kingdom was at peace.

6 Because the land was at peace, Asa built fortified cities in Judah. In those days no one made war with him, because the Lord had given him rest. 7So he said to the people of Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, with doors and bars. The land is still ours 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.

8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin bearing small shields and drawing the bow. All these were mighty men of valor.

9 Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots, and they advanced as far as Mareshah. 10So Asa marched out against him and lined up in battle formation in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

11 Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.”

12 So the Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled. 13Then Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell and could not recover, for they were crushed before the Lord and His army. So the people of Judah carried off a great amount of plunder 14and attacked all the cities around Gerar, because the terror of the Lord had fallen upon them. They plundered all the cities, since there was much plunder there. 15They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen and carried off many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

1 Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. 2So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 3For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law. 4But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. 5In those days there was no safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. 6Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of adversity. 7But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.”

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple. 9And he assembled all Judah and Benjamin, along with those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for great numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10 So they gathered together in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from all the plunder they had brought back. 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. 13And whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. 14They took an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns. 15And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart. They had sought Him earnestly, and He was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

16 King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days. 18And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.

19 And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah. 2So Asa withdrew the silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the royal palace, and he sent it with this message to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus: 3“Let there be a treaty between me and you as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.

5 When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and abandoned his work. 6Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials he built up Geba and Mizpah.

7 At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and told him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. 9For the eyes of the Lord roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at war.”

10 Asa was angry with the seer and became so enraged over this matter that he put the man in prison. And at the same time Asa oppressed some of the people.

11 Now the acts of Asa, from beginning to end, are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his disease became increasingly severe. Yet even in his illness he did not seek the Lord, but only the physicians.

13 So in the forty-first year of his reign, Asa died and rested with his fathers. 14And he was buried in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier that was full of spices and various blended perfumes; then they made a great fire in his honor.

1 I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit. 2I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood, 4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. 5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen.

6 It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” 8So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring. 9For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

10 Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. 11Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand, 12not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! 15For He says to Moses:

16 So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy , and He hardens whom He wants to harden .

19 One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?” 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?” 21Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?

22 What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction? 23What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory — 24including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?