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 ac praecepit Iudae ut quaereret 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 e 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 aedificavit 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 Iudae aedificemus civitates istas et vallemus muris et roboremus turribus et portis et seris donec a bellis quieta sunt omnia eo quod quaesierimus Dominum Deum patrum nostrorum et dederit nobis pacem per gyrum aedificaverunt igitur et nullum in extruendo inpedimentum 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 milia de Beniamin vero scutariorum et sagittariorum ducenta octoginta milia 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 Aethiops cum exercitu decies centena milia 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 et instruxit aciem ad bellum in valle Sephata quae 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 praevaleat 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 Aethiopas coram Asa et Iuda fugeruntque Aethiopes

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 Gerar et ruerunt Aethiopes usque ad internicionem quia Domino caedente contriti sunt et exercitu illius proeliante 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 omnes civitates per circuitum Gerare grandis quippe cunctos terror invaserat et diripuerunt urbes et multam praedam 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 Hierusalem

Then they attacked the camps of the herdsmen and took many sheep and camels. Then they went back to Jerusalem.