2 Chronicles 16

1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, Baasha, king of Israel, invaded Judah. He fortified Ramah to stop anyone coming from or going to Asa, king of Judah.

In the six-and-thirtieth year of the reign of Assa, came up Ba'sha the king of Israel against Judah, and built Kamah, in order not to suffer any one to go out or come in to Assa the king of Judah.

2 Asa took the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord's Temple and the king's palace and sent them to Ben-hadad, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, with a message that said:

Then did Assa bring out silver and gold out of the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, and sent [them] to Ben-hadad the king of Syria, who dwelt at Damascus, saying,

3 “Make an alliance between me and you like the one between my father and your father. Look at the silver and gold I've sent you. Go ahead and break your agreement with Baasha, king of Israel, so that he will leave me and go home.”

A covenant is between me and thee, as between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee silver and gold; go, break thy covenant with Ba'sha the king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.

4 King Ben-hadad did as Asa had asked, and he sent his armies and their commanders to attack the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the storehouse towns of Naphtali.

And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Assa, and sent the captains of the armies that he had against the cities of Israel, and they smote 'Iyon, and Dan, and Abel-mayim, and all the treasure-cities of Naphtali.

5 When Baasha heard about it, he stopped fortifying Ramah and gave up his project.

And it came to pass, when Ba'sha heard this, that he left off the building of Ramah, and stopped his work.

6 So King Asa went with all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and the timbers Baasha had used for building, and with them he built up Geba and Mizpah.

And king Assa took then all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and its timber, wherewith Ba'sha had built; and he built therewith Geba' and Mizpah.

7 But right then Hanani the seer came to Asa, king of Judah, and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram and have not put your trust in the Lord your God, your opportunity to destroy the army of the king of Aram has gone.

And at that time came Chanani the seer to Assa the king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the Lord thy God: therefore is the army of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hands.

8 Didn't the Ethiopians and Libyans have a huge army with many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you trusted in the Lord, he made you victorious over them.

Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a numerous army, with chariots and horsemen in great abundance? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he gave them up into thy hand.

9 For the Lord looks all over the earth for the opportunity to show his power on behalf of those who are completely and sincerely devoted to him. You have acted stupidly in doing this. So from now on you will always be at war.”

For as regardeth the Lord, his eyes roam throughout the whole earth, to hold strongly with those whose heart is entire toward him: thou hast done foolishly for this reason; because from this time forth there will be wars with thee.

10 Asa was angry with the seer. He was so angry with him over this that he put him in prison. At this same time Asa started to mistreat some of the people.

Then became Assa incensed toward the seer, and put him in a prison-house; for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Assa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

11 The rest of what Asa did, from beginning to end, is written down in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

And, behold, the acts of Assa, the first and the last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa had trouble with disease in his feet, which only became worse and worse. Yet even in his sickness he did not turn to the Lord, but only the physicians.

And Assa became sick in the thirty-and-ninth year of his reign in his feet, his disease being exceedingly severe: yet even in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but [applied] to the physicians.

13 Asa died in the forty-first year of his reign.

And Assa slept with his fathers, and died in the one-and-fortieth year of his reign.

14 He was buried in the tomb that he had prepared for himself in the City of David. They placed him on a bed full of spices, perfumed oils, and fragrances. Then they made a great fire to honor him.

And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had dug for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the couch which was filled with sweet odors and divers kinds of spices mixed by the apothecary's art; and they made for him a burning uncommonly great.