2 Chronicles 16
1 When Asa had been ruling [Judah] for almost 36 years, King Baasha of Israel went [with his army] to attack Judah. They [captured the town of] Ramah [north of Jerusalem] and started to build a wall around [it], in order to prevent any people from entering or leaving the area in Judah that was ruled by King Asa [because the only road into Judah from Israel went through Ramah].
In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, —that he might let none come out or go in, unto Asa king of Judah.
2 So Asa told his workers to take all the silver and gold that was in the storerooms of the temple and in his own palace, and take and give it to Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, who was ruling in Damascus. [He sent him a message, ] saying
So Asa brought forth silver and gold, out of the treasuries of the house of Yahweh, and the house of the king, —and sent unto Ben-hadad, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying:
3 “I want there to be a peace treaty between me and you, like there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you [a lot of] silver and gold. So please cancel the treaty that you have made with Baasha, the king of Israel, in order that he will take his soldiers away from attacking mine, [because he will be afraid of your army].”
[Let there be] a covenant, between me and thee, as between my father and thy father.—Lo! I have sent thee silver and gold, go break thy covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may go up from me.
4 Ben-Hadad agreed to do what King Asa [suggested]. He sent the commanders of his armies [with their soldiers] to attack some of the towns in Israel. They captured Ijon, Dan, Abel-Beth-Maacah and all the cities in the area belonging to the tribe of Naphtali where supplies were kept.
And Ben-hadad hearkened unto King Asa, and sent the chieftains of the forces which he had, against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon and Dan, and Abel-maim, —and all the storehouses of the cities of Naphtali.
5 When Baasha heard about that, he [commanded his troops to] stop fortifying Ramah and doing other work there.
And it cams to pass, when Baasha heard it, he left off building Ramah, —and let his work cease.
6 Then King Asa gathered all the men of Judah, and they took away from Ramah all the stones and timber that Baasha’s men had been using [to build the wall around that town]. They took those materials to [the town of] Geba and [the city of] Mizpah [north of Jerusalem] and built walls around them.
And, Asa the king, took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timbers thereof, which Baasha had used in building, —and he built therewith, Geba and Mizpah.
7 At that time the prophet Hanani went to King Asa and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria and not on Yahweh our God, you missed your opportunity to destroy the army of the king of Syria.
And, at that time, came Hanani the seer, unto Asa the king of Judah, —and said unto him, Because thou hast leaned upon the king of Syria, and hast not leaned upon Yahweh thy God, for this cause, hath the force of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.
8 The huge armies from Ethiopia and Libya with all their chariots and soldiers [riding] on horses [were certainly very powerful. But] when you relied on Yahweh, he enabled your army to defeat them.
Were not, the Ethiopians and the Lybians, a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst lean upon Yahweh, he delivered them into thy hand.
9 That happened because Yahweh sees [what is happening] all over the earth, and he strengthens those who completely trust him. You have done a very foolish thing, so from now on other armies will be fighting your army.”
For, as touching Yahweh, [seeing that], his eyes, are ever running to and fro throughout all the earth, to shew himself strong with them who are perfect toward himself, thou hast made thyself foolish over this, —for, from henceforth, there shall be with thee—wars.
10 Asa was very angry with the prophet because of what the prophet had said. So he [commanded his officials to] put Hanani in prison. At that same time, he started to treat some of his people very cruelly.
Then was Asa angry with the seer, and put him in the house of the stocks, for he was in a rage with him, over this, —and Asa oppressed some of the people, at that time.
11 All the things that Asa did while he was ruling, from the time he started to rule until he died, are written in the scroll containing the record of the [activities of the] kings of Judah and Israel.
But lo! the story of Asa, first and last, there it is, written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12 When Asa had been ruling for almost 39 years, he was afflicted with a disease in his feet. The disease was very severe, but in spite of that, he did not request help from Yahweh. Instead he sought help only from doctors.
And Asa became diseased—in the thirty-ninth year of his reign—in his feet, exceedingly severe, was his disease, —yet, even in his disease, he sought not Yahweh, but unto physicians.
13 When he had been ruling for almost 40 years, he died.
And Asa slept with his fathers, —yea he died in the forty-first year of his reign;
14 He was buried in the tomb that his workers had made for him in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. They laid his corpse on a bed covered with spices and various perfumes that had been mixed together. They also lit a huge fire to honor him.
and they buried him in his own stately sepulchre, which he had hewn for himself in the city of David, and laid him on a couch which was full of sweet spices—yea of various kinds, made by the perfumer’s art, —and they burned for him with an exceeding great burning.
