Asa Son of Abijam, King of Judah
9In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa king of Judah became king. 10He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother's[] name was Ma'akah granddaughter of Abishalom. 11Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as his father David had done. 12He drove the male shrine prostitutes out of the land, and he removed all the filthy idols which his fathers had made. 13In addition, he also removed his grandmother Ma'akah from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14But the high places were not removed. Nevertheless, Asa's heart was fully committed to the Lord all his days. 15He brought silver and gold and vessels and utensils into the House of the Lord as dedicated offerings for himself and his father.
16There was war between Asa and Ba'asha king of Israel throughout all their days. 17Ba'asha king of Israel attacked Judah, and he fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. 18So Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the House of the Lord and the treasuries of the king's palace, and he gave them to his officials. Then King Asa sent them to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion king of Aram, who was living in Damascus. 19He said, “There should be a treaty between you and me as there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Come, break your treaty with Ba'asha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
20Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his army against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Ma'akah, and all of Kinneret, as well as all the land of Naphtali. 21When Ba'asha heard about this, he stopped fortifying Ramah, and he stayed in Tirzah. 22Then King Asa summoned all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timber with which Ba'asha had been building, and King Asa used them to fortify Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah.
23As for all the rest of Asa's acts and all his mighty deeds and everything else he did and the cities he built, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Judah? But in his old age his feet became diseased. 24Asa rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then his son Jehoshaphat became king in his place.