2 דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים 16

1 בִּשְׁנַ֨ת שְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים וָשֵׁשׁ֙ לְמַלְכ֣וּת אָסָ֔א עָלָ֞ה בַּעְשָׁ֤א מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ עַל־יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיִּ֖בֶן אֶת־הָרָמָ֑ה לְבִלְתִּ֗י תֵּ֚ת יֹוצֵ֣א וָבָ֔א לְאָסָ֖א מֶ֥לֶךְ יְהוּדָֽה׃

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].

2 וַיֹּצֵ֨א אָסָ֜א כֶּ֣סֶף וְזָהָ֗ב מֵאֹֽצְרֹ֛ות בֵּ֥ית יְהוָ֖ה וּבֵ֣ית הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח אֶל־בֶּן־הֲדַד֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ אֲרָ֔ם הַיֹּושֵׁ֥ב בְּדַרְמֶ֖שֶׂק לֵאמֹֽר׃

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

3 בְּרִית֙ בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֔ךָ וּבֵ֥ין אָבִ֖י וּבֵ֣ין אָבִ֑יךָ הִנֵּ֨ה שָׁלַ֤חְתִּֽי לְךָ֙ כֶּ֣סֶף וְזָהָ֔ב לֵ֞ךְ הָפֵ֣ר בְּרִֽיתְךָ֗ אֶת־בַּעְשָׁא֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיַעֲלֶ֖ה מֵעָלָֽי׃

“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].”

4 וַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע בֶּן הֲדַ֜ד אֶל־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אָסָ֗א וַ֠יִּשְׁלַח אֶת־שָׂרֵ֨י הַחֲיָלִ֤ים אֲשֶׁר־לֹו֙ אֶל־עָרֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיַּכּוּ֙ אֶת־עִיֹּ֣ון וְאֶת־דָּ֔ן וְאֵ֖ת אָבֵ֣ל מָ֑יִם וְאֵ֥ת כָּֽל־מִסְכְּנֹ֖ות עָרֵ֥י נַפְתָּלִֽי׃

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.

5 וַיְהִי֙ כִּשְׁמֹ֣עַ בַּעְשָׁ֔א וַיֶּחְדַּ֕ל מִבְּנֹ֖ות אֶת־הָרָמָ֑ה וַיַּשְׁבֵּ֖ת אֶת־מְלַאכְתֹּֽו׃ ס

When Baasha heard about that, he [commanded his troops to] stop fortifying Ramah and doing other work there.

6 וְאָסָ֣א הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ לָקַח֙ אֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיִּשְׂא֞וּ אֶת־אַבְנֵ֤י הָֽרָמָה֙ וְאֶת־עֵצֶ֔יהָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּנָ֖ה בַּעְשָׁ֑א וַיִּ֣בֶן בָּהֶ֔ם אֶת־גֶּ֖בַע וְאֶת־הַמִּצְפָּֽה׃ ס

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.

7 וּבָעֵ֣ת הַהִ֗יא בָּ֚א חֲנָ֣נִי הָרֹאֶ֔ה אֶל־אָסָ֖א מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֑ה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֗יו בְּהִשָּׁ֨עֶנְךָ֜ עַל־מֶ֤לֶךְ אֲרָם֙ וְלֹ֤א נִשְׁעַ֙נְתָּ֙ עַל־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ עַל־כֵּ֗ן נִמְלַ֛ט חֵ֥יל מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲרָ֖ם מִיָּדֶֽךָ׃

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.

8 הֲלֹ֧א הַכּוּשִׁ֣ים וְהַלּוּבִ֗ים הָי֨וּ לְחַ֧יִל ׀ לָרֹ֛ב לְרֶ֥כֶב וּלְפָרָשִׁ֖ים לְהַרְבֵּ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד וּבְהִשָּֽׁעֶנְךָ֥ עַל־יְהוָ֖ה נְתָנָ֥ם בְּיָדֶֽךָ׃

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.

9 כִּ֣י יְהוָ֗ה עֵינָ֞יו מְשֹׁטְטֹ֤ות בְּכָל־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ לְ֠הִתְחַזֵּק עִם־לְבָבָ֥ם שָׁלֵ֛ם אֵלָ֖יו נִסְכַּ֣לְתָּ עַל־זֹ֑את כִּ֣י מֵעַ֔תָּה יֵ֥שׁ עִמְּךָ֖ מִלְחָמֹֽות׃

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.”

10 וַיִּכְעַ֨ס אָסָ֜א אֶל־הָרֹאֶ֗ה וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֙הוּ֙ בֵּ֣ית הַמַּהְפֶּ֔כֶת כִּֽי־בְזַ֥עַף עִמֹּ֖ו עַל־זֹ֑את וַיְרַצֵּ֥ץ אָסָ֛א מִן־הָעָ֖ם בָּעֵ֥ת הַהִֽיא׃

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.

11 וְהִנֵּה֙ דִּבְרֵ֣י אָסָ֔א הָרִאשֹׁונִ֖ים וְהָאַחֲרֹונִ֑ים הִנָּ֤ם כְּתוּבִים֙ עַל־סֵ֣פֶר הַמְּלָכִ֔ים לִיהוּדָ֖ה וְיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

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.

12 וַיֶּחֱלֶ֣א אָסָ֡א בִּשְׁנַת֩ שְׁלֹושִׁ֨ים וָתֵ֤שַׁע לְמַלְכוּתֹו֙ בְּרַגְלָ֔יו עַד־לְמַ֖עְלָה חָלְיֹ֑ו וְגַם־בְּחָלְיֹו֙ לֹא־דָרַ֣שׁ אֶת־יְהוָ֔ה כִּ֖י בָּרֹפְאִֽים׃

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.

13 וַיִּשְׁכַּ֥ב אָסָ֖א עִם־אֲבֹתָ֑יו וַיָּ֕מָת בִּשְׁנַ֛ת אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וְאַחַ֖ת לְמָלְכֹֽו׃

When he had been ruling for almost 40 years, he died.

14 וַיִּקְבְּרֻ֣הוּ בְקִבְרֹתָ֗יו אֲשֶׁ֣ר כָּֽרָה־לֹו֮ בְּעִ֣יר דָּוִיד֒ וַיַּשְׁכִּיבֻ֗הוּ בַּמִּשְׁכָּב֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר מִלֵּא֙ בְּשָׂמִ֣ים וּזְנִ֔ים מְרֻקָּחִ֖ים בְּמִרְקַ֣חַת מַעֲשֶׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׂרְפוּ־לֹ֥ו שְׂרֵפָ֖ה גְּדֹולָ֥ה עַד־לִמְאֹֽד׃ פ

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.