2 Berɛsosɛm 14
1 Ɛberɛ a Abia wuiɛ no, wɔsiee no wɔ Dawid kurom. Ne babarima Asa na ɔdii nʼadeɛ sɛ ɔhene. Asomdwoeɛ baa asase no so mfeɛ edu,
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 ɛfiri sɛ, Asa yɛɛ deɛ ɛfata na ɛyɛ wɔ Awurade, ne Onyankopɔn, ani so.
Asa did things that Yahweh his God considers to be right and good.
3 Ɔtutuu abosonsomfoɔ afɔrebukyia ne wɔn abosonnan nyinaa guiɛ. Ɔdwirii wɔn afadum, twitwaa Asera afɔrebukyia 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 ɔmanfoɔ a wɔwɔ Yuda sɛ, wɔnhwehwɛ Awurade wɔn agyanom Onyankopɔn na wɔnni ne mmara ne nʼahyɛdeɛ 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 sane bubuu abosonnan ne nnuhwam afɔrebukyia firii Yuda nkuro nyinaa mu. Ɛno enti, wɔnyaa asomdwoeɛ wɔ Asa ahennie 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 asomdwoeɛ mfeɛ no mu no, ɔtumi siesiee banbɔ nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ Yudaman mu nyinaa. Obiara anyɛ nʼadwene sɛ ɔbɛko atia no saa ɛberɛ yi, ɛfiri sɛ, na Awurade rema no ahomegyeɛ wɔ nʼatamfoɔ 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 Yudafoɔ sɛ, “Momma yɛnkyekyere nkuro, na yɛntwa afasuo mfa ho, mfa mmɔ ho ban. Yɛbɛyɛ abantenten, asisi apono, ayɛ nnadeban nso. Asase no yɛ yɛn dea, ɛfiri sɛ, yɛbisaa Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn, na wama yɛn ahomegyeɛ wɔ yɛn atamfoɔ nsam.” Enti, wɔkɔɔ so yɛɛ saa nnwuma yi de baa awieeɛ.
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 akofoɔ ɔpehasa a wɔfiri Yuda abusuakuo mu a wɔwɔ akokyɛm ne mpea akɛseɛ. Afei, na ɔwɔ akofoɔ ɔpehanu aduɔwɔtwe a wɔfiri Benyamin abusua mu a wɔkurakura akokyɛm ne agyan nketewa. Na akofoɔ akokoɔdurufoɔ wɔ saa akodɔm mmienu 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 Ɛberɛ bi, Etiopiani bi a wɔfrɛ no Serah de akodɔm ɔpepem baako ne nteaseɛnam ahasa, kɔto hyɛɛ Yuda so. Wɔkɔ kɔduruu 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 nʼakodɔm ano ne wɔn kɔkoo wɔ Sefata bɔnhwa 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 teaam, frɛɛ Awurade ne Onyankopɔn sɛ, “Ao Awurade, wo nko ara na wobɛtumi aboa deɛ ɔyɛ mmrɛ na watumi ako atia ɔhoɔdenfoɔ! Boa yɛn, Ao, Awurade, yɛn Onyankopɔn, ɛfiri sɛ, wo nko ara ne yɛn anidasoɔ. Wo din mu na yɛrehyia ɛdɔm kɛseɛ yi. Ao, Awurade, woyɛ yɛn Onyankopɔn, na mma ɛkwan mma nnipa teta nnsɔre 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 Etiopiafoɔ no so nkonim wɔ Asa ne Yuda akodɔm no anim, na atamfoɔ no dwaneeɛ.
Then Yahweh enabled Asa and the army of Judah to defeat the army from Ethiopia. They fled,
13 Asa ne nʼakodɔm taa wɔn ara kɔsii Gerar, maa Etiopiafoɔ no bebree totɔeɛ a wɔantumi ammoa wɔn ho ano. Awurade ne nʼakodɔm dwerɛɛ wɔn, na Yuda akodɔm no nyaa afodeɛ bebree kɔeɛ.
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 Ɛberɛ a wɔwɔ Gerar no, wɔto hyɛɛ nkuro a ɛwɔ beaeɛ hɔ nyinaa so, na Awurade ho huboa tɔɔ nnipa a wɔwɔ hɔ no so. Awieeɛ no, wɔnyaa afodeɛ bebree wɔ saa nkuro 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 Wɔsane to hyɛɛ mmoahwɛfoɔ atenaeɛ, kyekyeree nnwan ne nyoma, ansa na wɔresane 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.
