Study Desk

Yet Yarov‘am the son of N'vat, servant to Shlomo the son of David, rose in rebellion against his lord.

"So look here! God is with us, leading us and his cohanim with the battle trumpets to sound an alarm against you. People of Isra'el! Don't fight against Adonai , the God of your ancestors; because you will not succeed."

Aviyah and his army inflicted a great slaughter on them — 500,000 of Isra'el's select soldiers fell dead.

Yarov‘am did not recover his strength during the time of Aviyahu. Finally Adonai struck him, and he died.

Other activities of Aviyah, together with his ways of doing things and his sayings, are recorded in the commentary of the prophet ‘Iddo. Aviyah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son became king in his place; during his time the land was quiet for ten years.

Asa did what was good and right from the perspective of Adonai his God;

Asa cried out to Adonai his God, " Adonai , there is no one besides yourself, strong or weak, who can help. Help us, Adonai our God, because we are relying on you, and we are coming against this vast throng in your name. You are Adonai our God; don't let human beings stop you!"

Asa and the army with him pursued them to G'rar, and the Ethiopians were defeated beyond recovery; they were shattered before Adonai and his army, who carried off much spoil.

Asa did what was good and right from the perspective of Adonai his God; for he removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashing the standing-stones and chopping down the sacred poles. He ordered Y'hudah to seek Adonai , the God of their ancestors, and to obey the Torah and the mitzvah. He removed the high places and pillars for sun-worship from all the cities of Y'hudah, and under him the kingdom was quiet. Because the land was quiet, and he had no war during those years, since Adonai had given him rest, he built fortified cities in Y'hudah. "Let's build these cities," he said to Y'hudah; "we'll surround them with walls, towers, gates and bars. The land is there for us to use, because we have sought Adonai our God; we have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side." So they built and prospered. Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Y'hudah, equipped with shields and spears, and another 280,000 from Binyamin, with shields and bows; all were brave, strong men. Zerach the Ethiopian came out to attack them with an army of one million and three hundred chariots. When he arrived at Mareshah, Asa went out to fight him, and the forces were arranged for battle in the Tz'fat Valley at Mareshah. Asa cried out to Adonai his God, " Adonai , there is no one besides yourself, strong or weak, who can help. Help us, Adonai our God, because we are relying on you, and we are coming against this vast throng in your name. You are Adonai our God; don't let human beings stop you!" So Adonai struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Y'hudah, and the Ethiopians fled. Asa and the army with him pursued them to G'rar, and the Ethiopians were defeated beyond recovery; they were shattered before Adonai and his army, who carried off much spoil. Then they attacked all the cities in the vicinity of G'rar, for a panic from Adonai had overcome them. They plundered all the cities, for they were full of spoil. They also attacked the tents of those tending the livestock and carried off sheep and camels in abundance. Then they returned to Yerushalayim.

Then he gathered all Y'hudah and Binyamin, along with those from Efrayim, M'nasheh and Shim‘on who were staying with him (for they had defected to him in large numbers upon seeing that Adonai his God was with him).

Asa the king also deposed Ma‘akhah his [grand]mother from her position as queen mother, because she had made a disgusting image for an asherah. Asa cut down this image of hers, chopped it into tiny pieces and burned it in Vadi Kidron.

But the high places were not removed from Isra'el. Nevertheless, Asa was wholehearted throughout his life.

He brought into the house of God all the articles his father had consecrated, also the things he himself had consecrated — silver, gold and utensils.

Ben-Hadad did as King Asa had asked — he sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Isra'el, attacking ‘Iyon, Dan, Avel-Mayim and all the storage-cities of Naftali.

As soon as Ba‘asha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work.

But Asa became angry at the seer; in fact, because of his rage at him over this matter he threw him in prison. Moreover, at the same time, he mistreated some of the people.

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa suffered from a disease in his legs. It was a very serious disease, yet even with this disease he did not seek out Adonai but turned to the physicians.

Asa slept with his ancestors, dying in the forty-first year of his reign.

They buried him in his own burial cave, which he had ordered cut for himself in the City of David. They laid him in a bed filled with sweet spices of various kinds, expertly compounded; and a very great fire was kindled in his honor.

Then Y'hoshafat his son became king in his place. He strengthened his position against Isra'el