9. During Jeroboam’s 20th year as king over Israel, Asa became king of Judah.
10. He ruled in Jerusalem for 41 years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah, and she was the daughter of Absalom.
11. Asa did what the Lord said is right, as his ancestor David did.
12. During Asa’s time there were men who served other gods by selling their bodies for sex. Asa forced them to leave the country. He took away the idols that his ancestors had made.
13. King Asa also took away the right of his mother Maacah to be queen mother. He did this because she had set up one of those awful Asherah poles. Asa cut down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
14. Asa did not destroy the high places, even though he was faithful to the Lord all his life.
15. Asa and his father had given some special gifts to God. Asa put these gifts of gold, silver, and other things in the Lord’S Temple.
16. The whole time that King Asa was king of Judah, he fought a war against King Baasha of Israel.
17. Once Baasha attacked Judah and then built up the city of Ramah to keep Asa from leaving Judah on any kind of military campaign.
18. So Asa took gold and silver from the treasuries of the Lord’S Temple and the king’s palace. He gave it to his officials and sent them to King Ben-Hadad of Aram. Ben-Hadad was the son of Tabrimmon. Tabrimmon was the son of Hezion. Damascus was Ben-Hadad’s capital city.
19. Asa sent this message: “My father and your father had a peace agreement. Now I want to make a peace agreement with you. I am sending you this gift of gold and silver. Please break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel and make him leave us alone.”
20. King Ben-Hadad made the agreement with King Asa and sent his army to fight against the Israelite towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, the towns near Lake Galilee, and the area of Naphtali.
21. When Baasha heard about these attacks, he stopped building up Ramah and went back to Tirzah.
22. Then King Asa gave an order to all the men in Judah. Everyone had to help. They had to go to Ramah and carry out all the stone and wood that Baasha was using to build up the city. They carried the material to Geba in Benjamin and to Mizpah and used it to strengthen those two cities.
23. All the other things about Asa—the great things he did and the cities he built—are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Judah. When Asa became old, his feet became infected.
24. He died and was buried in the City of David, his ancestor. Then Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became the new king after him.