2 Beresosɛm 14
1 Abia wu ma wosiee no wɔ Dawid kurom. Ne babarima Asa na odii nʼade sɛ ɔhene. Asomdwoe baa asase no so mfe du.
When Abijah died, he was buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. His son Asa became the king. While Asa was ruling, there was peace in Judah for ten years.
2 Asa yɛɛ nea ɛsɔ Awurade, ne Nyankopɔn no, ani.
Asa did things that Yahweh his God considers to be right and good.
3 Otutuu abosonsomfo afɔremuka ne wɔn abosonnan nyinaa gui. Odwiriw wɔn afadum, twitwaa Asera nnua nyinaa.
His workers got rid of the altars to worship foreign gods that were on the high hills. They smashed the sacred stone pillars and cut down the poles for worshiping [the goddess] Asherah.
4 Ɔhyɛɛ ɔmanfo a wɔwɔ Yuda se, wɔnhwehwɛ Awurade, wɔn agyanom Nyankopɔn no, na wonni ne mmara ne nʼahyɛde nyinaa so.
Asa commanded the people of Judah to worship [only] Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors worshiped, and to obey his laws and commands.
5 Asa san bubuu abosonnan ne nnuhuam afɔremuka fii Yuda nkurow nyinaa mu. Ɛno nti, wonyaa asomdwoe wɔ Asa ahenni mu.
His workers destroyed all the shrines on the hilltops and the altars for burning incense [to idols] in every town in Judah. As a result, there was peace while Asa ruled the kingdom [of Judah].
6 Saa asomdwoe mfe no mu no, otumi siesiee bammɔ nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ Yudaman mu nyinaa. Obiara anyɛ nʼadwene sɛ ɔbɛko atia no saa bere yi, efisɛ na Awurade rema no ahomegye wɔ nʼatamfo nsam.
His workers built cities and constructed walls around them. No army attacked Judah during that time, because Yahweh enabled them to have peace.
7 Asa ka kyerɛɛ Yudafo se, “Momma yɛnkyekye nkurow, na yentwa afasu mfa ho mfa mmɔ ho ban. Yɛbɛyɛ abantenten, asisi apon, ayɛ nnadeban nso. Asase no yɛ yɛn dea, efisɛ yɛsrɛɛ Awurade yɛn Nyankopɔn, na wama yɛn ahomegye wɔ yɛn atamfo nsam.” Enti wɔkɔɔ so yɛɛ saa nnwuma yi de baa awiei.
Asa said to the people of Judah, “We should protect these towns by building walls around them, with watchtowers and gates that have bars. This country still belongs to us because we have requested Yahweh our God to help us. We requested him for his help, and he has given us peace in our entire country.” So they built buildings and prospered.
8 Na ɔhene Asa wɔ akofo mpem ahaasa a wofi Yuda abusuakuw mu a wɔwɔ nkatabo ne mpeaw akɛse. Afei, na ɔwɔ akofo mpem ahannu aduɔwɔtwe a wofi Benyamin abusua mu a wokurakura nkatabo ne agyan nketewa. Na akofo akokodurufo wɔ saa asraafodɔm abien yi mu.
Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah. They all carried large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin [in his army]. They carried [smaller] shields, and bows [and arrows]. They were all brave soldiers.
9 Bere bi, Etiopiani bi a wɔfrɛ no Serah de asraafodɔm ɔpepem baako ne nteaseɛnam ahaasa, kɔtow hyɛɛ Yuda so. Wɔkɔ koduu Maresa kuropɔn mu.
Zerah, a man from Ethiopia/Sudan, marched with a huge army and 300 chariots to attack [the army of Judah and Benjamin]. They went as far as [the town of] Mareshah [about 25 miles/southwest of Jerusalem].
10 Asa nso boaa nʼakofo ano ne wɔn kɔkoo wɔ Sefata bon mu a ɛbɛn Maresa.
Asa went [with his army] to fight against them, and both armies took their positions in the Zephathah Valley.
11 Asa teɛɛ mu, frɛɛ Awurade ne Nyankopɔn se, “Awurade, wo nko ara na wubetumi aboa nea ɔyɛ mmerɛw na watumi ako atia ɔhoɔdenfo! Boa yɛn, Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn, efisɛ wo nko ara ne yɛn anidaso. Wo din mu na yɛrehyia dɔm kɛse yi. Awurade, woyɛ yɛn Nyankopɔn, na mma kwan mma nnipa teta nsɔre ntia wo!”
Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God, saying, “Yahweh, there is no one like you who can help those who have very little power to resist a mighty army. Yahweh our God, help us, because we are relying on you; and trusting in you we have come [to fight] against this huge army. Yahweh, you are our God; do not allow anyone to defeat you.”
12 Na Awurade dii Etiopiafo no so nkonim wɔ Asa ne Yuda asraafodɔm no anim, na atamfo no guanee.
Then Yahweh enabled Asa and the army of Judah to defeat the army from Ethiopia. They fled,
13 Asa ne nʼakofo no taa wɔn ara kosii Gerar, maa Etiopiafo no bebree totɔe a wɔantumi ammoa wɔn ho ano. Awurade ne nʼakofo dwerɛw wɔn, na Yuda asraafo no nyaa asade bebree kɔe.
and Asa and his army pursued them [to the southwest] as far as Gerar. A huge number of the soldiers from Ethiopia were killed, with the result that those [who were not killed] were unable to fight any more. They were greatly defeated by Yahweh and his army, and the men of Judah carried away a great amount of their possessions.
14 Bere a wɔwɔ Gerar no, wɔtow hyɛɛ nkurow a ɛwɔ beae hɔ nyinaa so, na Awurade ho huboa tɔɔ nnipa a wɔwɔ hɔ no so. Awiei no, wonyaa asade bebree wɔ saa nkurow no so nso.
The men of Judah were able to destroy the people in villages near Gerar because Yahweh had caused the people there to become terrified [and unable to fight]. The army of Judah took away all the valuable things from those villages.
15 Wɔsan tow hyɛɛ mmoahwɛfo atenae, kyekyeree nguan ne yoma, ansa na wɔresan akɔ Yerusalem.
They also attacked the places where the local people who took care of domestic animals had set up their tents, and they took away big herds of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
