Diḇre haYamim Bĕt (2 Chronicles) 16

1In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Ba‛asha the sovereign of Yisra’ĕl came up against Yehuḏah and built Ramah, to prevent anyone going out or coming in to Asa, sovereign of Yehuḏah.

2And Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the House of יהוה and of the sovereign’s house, and sent to Ben-Haḏaḏ sovereign of Aram, who dwelt in Darmeseq, saying,

3“Let there be a covenant between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Come, break your covenant with Ba‛asha sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, so that he withdraws from me.”

4And Ben-Haḏaḏ listened to Sovereign Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Yisra’ĕl, and they struck Iyon, and Dan, and Aḇĕl Mayim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.

5And it came to be, when Ba‛asha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work.

6Then Asa the sovereign brought all Yehuḏah, and they took away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Ba‛asha had used for building. And with them he built Geḇa and Mitspah.

7And at that time Ḥanani the seer came to Asa sovereign of Yehuḏah, and said to him, “Because you have relied on the sovereign of Aram, and have not relied on יהוה your Elohim, therefore the army of the sovereign of Aram has escaped from your hand.

8“Were the Kushites and the Luḇim not a mighty army with very many chariots and horsemen? And because you relied on יהוה, He gave them into your hand.

9“For the eyes of יהוה diligently search throughout all the earth, to show Himself to be strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect to Him. You have acted foolishly in this, so from now on you shall have battles.”

10And Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

11And look, the acts of Asa, the first and the last, see, they are written in the book of the sovereigns of Yehuḏah and Yisra’ĕl.

12And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his disease was severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek יהוה, but the physicians.

13So Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the forty-first year of his reign.

14And they buried him in his burial-site, which he had made for himself in the City of Dawiḏ. And they laid him in the bed which was filled with spices and various kinds of ointments mixed by the perfumer’s skill. And they made a very great burning for him.

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Diḇre haYamim Bĕt (2 Chronicles) 16: TS2009

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2 Chronicles 16

Final Years of Asa’s Reign

1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa’s territory in Judah.

2Asa responded by removing the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace. He sent it to King Ben-hadad of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message:

3“Let there be a treaty#16:3 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads There is a treaty. between you and me like the one between your father and my father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone.”

4Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa’s request and sent the commanders of his army to attack the towns of Israel. They conquered the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah,#16:4 As in parallel text at 1 Kgs 15:20; Hebrew reads Abel-maim, another name for Abel-beth-maacah. and all the store cities in Naphtali. 5As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah and stopped all work on it. 6Then King Asa called out all the men of Judah to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the towns of Geba and Mizpah.

7At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram. 8Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians#16:8a Hebrew Cushites. and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers?#16:8b Or and horsemen? At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you. 9The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.”

10Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying this that he threw him into prison and put him in stocks. At that time Asa also began to oppress some of his people.

Summary of Asa’s Reign

11The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet even with the severity of his disease, he did not seek the Lord’s help but turned only to his physicians. 13So he died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14He was buried in the tomb he had carved out for himself in the City of David. He was laid on a bed perfumed with sweet spices and fragrant ointments, and the people built a huge funeral fire in his honor.

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