2 Chronicles 16

¹ In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel marched against Judah and built Ramah to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.

² Asa took silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and sent this message to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus:

³ “There is a treaty between me and you, and between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you silver and gold. Go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

⁴ Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the towns of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.

⁵ When Baasha heard about it, he stopped building Ramah and halted his work.

⁶ King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timber Baasha had been using to build it. With these, the king built Geba and Mizpah.

⁷ At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Aram and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.

⁸ Were not the Cushites and Libyans a huge army, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he handed them over to you.

⁹ For the eyes of the LORD range over the whole earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully devoted to him. You have acted foolishly in this, and from now on you will have wars.”

¹⁰ Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks, because he was furious with him over this. At that time Asa also oppressed some of the people.

¹¹ The acts of Asa, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became ill in his feet, and his illness was very severe. Even in his illness, he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians.

¹³ Asa rested with his ancestors and died in the forty-first year of his reign.

¹⁴ They buried him in the tomb he had hewn for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bed filled with perfumes and various kinds of spices prepared by a perfumer, and they made a very great fire in his honor.

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