Ii Paralipomenon 14
1 Dormivit autem Abia cum patribus suis, et sepelierunt eum in Civitate David: regnavitque Asa filius eius pro eo, in cuius diebus quievit terra annis decem.
Abijah died and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa took over as king. For ten years of his reign the country was at peace.
2 Fecit autem Asa quod bonum et placitum erat in conspectu Dei sui, et subvertit altaria peregrini cultus, et excelsa,
Asa did what was good and right in the Lord's sight.
3 et confregit statuas, lucosque succidit:
He took down the foreign altars and high places, smashed their sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.
4 et præcepit Iudæ ut quæreret Dominum Deum patrum suorum, et faceret legem, et universa mandata:
He ordered Judah to worship the Lord, the God of their forefathers, and to observe the law and the commandments.
5 et abstulit de cunctis urbibus Iuda aras, et fana, et regnavit in pace.
He also took down the high places and the incense altars from all the towns of Judah. Under his rule the kingdom was at peace.
6 Ædificavit quoque urbes munitas in Iuda, quia quietus erat, et nulla temporibus eius bella surrexerant, pacem Domino largiente.
Because the country was at peace he was able to rebuild the fortified towns of Judah. There were no wars during these years because the Lord had granted him peace.
7 Dixit autem Iudæ: Ædificemus civitates istas, et vallemus muris, et roboremus turribus, et portis, et seris, donec a bellis quieta sunt omnia, eo quod quæsierimus Dominum Deum patrum nostrorum, et dederit nobis pacem per gyrum. Ædificaverunt igitur, et nullum in extruendo impedimentum fuit.
Asa told the people of Judah, “Let us build up these towns and surround them with walls and towers and barred gates. The land is still ours, because we continue to worship the Lord our God. We worship him, and he has given us peace from all our enemies.” So they began the building projects, and completed them successfully.
8 Habuit autem Asa in exercitu suo portantium scuta et hastas de Iuda trecenta millia, de Beniamin vero scutariorum et sagittariorum ducenta octoginta millia, omnes isti viri fortissimi.
Asa had an army made up of three hundred thousand men from Judah who carried large shields and spears, and two hundred eighty thousand men from Benjamin who carried regular shields and bows. All of them were brave warriors.
9 Egressus est autem contra eos Zara Æthiops cum exercitu suo, decies centena millia, et curribus trecentis: et venit usque Maresa.
Zerah the Ethiopian attacked them with an army of a thousand times a thousand men and three hundred chariots, advancing as far as Mareshah.
10 Porro Asa perrexit obviam ei, et instruxit aciem ad bellum in Valle Sephata, quæ est iuxta Maresa:
Asa went out to confront him, lining up for battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 et invocavit Dominum Deum, et ait: Domine non est apud te ulla distantia utrum in paucis auxilieris, an in pluribus: adiuva nos Domine Deus noster: in te enim, et in tuo nomine habentes fiduciam venimus contra hanc multitudinem. Domine, Deus noster tu es, non prævaleat contra te homo.
Asa called out for help to the Lord his God: “Lord, there is no one apart from you who can help the powerless against the powerful. Please help us, Lord our God, for we trust in you. We have come against this horde because we stand for you, Lord. You are our God. Do not let a mere human being beat you.”
12 Exterruit itaque Dominus Æthiopes coram Asa et Iuda: fugeruntque Æthiopes.
The Lord struck the Ethiopians in front of Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians ran away.
13 Et persecutus est eos Asa, et populus, qui cum eo erat, usque Gerara: et ruerunt Æthiopes usque ad internecionem, quia Domino cædente contriti sunt, et exercitu illius præliante. Tulerunt ergo spolia multa,
Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Ethiopians were killed—there were none who survived, for they were caught between the Lord and his army. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.
14 et percusserunt civitates omnes per circuitum Geraræ: grandis quippe cunctos terror invaserat: et diripuerunt urbes, et multam prædam asportaverunt.
They also attacked all the towns around Gerar, because the inhabitants were terrified of the Lord. The men of Judah took a large amount of plunder from all the towns.
15 Sed et caulas ovium destruentes, tulerunt pecorum infinitam multitudinem, et camelorum: reversique sunt in Ierusalem.
Then they attacked the camps of the herdsmen and took many sheep and camels. Then they went back to Jerusalem.
