9
In the twentieth year of King Jeroboam of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah;
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he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
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Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David had done.
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He put away the male temple prostitutes out of the land, and removed all the idols that his ancestors had made.
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He also removed his mother Maacah from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for Asherah; Asa cut down her image and burned it at the Wadi Kidron.
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But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was true to the Lord all his days.
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He brought into the house of the Lord the votive gifts of his father and his own votive gifts—silver, gold, and utensils.
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There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel all their days.
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King Baasha of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to King Asa of Judah.
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Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house, and gave them into the hands of his servants. King Asa sent them to King Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion of Aram, who resided in Damascus, saying,
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"Let there be an alliance between me and you, like that between my father and your father: I am sending you a present of silver and gold; go, break your alliance with King Baasha of Israel, so that he may withdraw from me."
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Ben-hadad listened to King Asa, and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.
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When Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and lived in Tirzah.
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Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt: they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building; with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.
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Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his power, all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet.
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Then Asa slept with his ancestors, and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his father David; his son Jehoshaphat succeeded him.