2. Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.
3. He took down the foreign altars and high places, and he shattered the pillars and cut down the images of Asherah.
4. Then he urged Judah to seek the Lord the God of their fathers and to keep the law and commandments.
5. And he also removed all the high places and incense altars in the cities in Judah. And the kingdom was at rest under Asa.
6. He built fortified cities in Judah because the land was quiet; and there was no war in these years, for the Lord gave peace to him.
7. And he said to Judah, “Let us build up these cities and let us surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars for the land before us is still ours because we have sought after the Lord our God. We have sought Him, and He has given us peace all around.” So they built and had success.
8. And it happened that Asa had an army from Judah carrying large shields and spears numbering three hundred thousand. And from Benjamin he had an army carrying shields and bows numbering two hundred eighty thousand. All of these were mighty men of valor.
9. But Zerah the Ethiopian Cushite came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots. And he came up to Mareshah.
10. Then Asa went out to engage him, and they arranged for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.