1 Kings 15:9-24

9In the twentieth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Asa became king of Judah,

10and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

11Asa did what was right in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.

12He banished the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all of the idols that his ancestors had made.

13He also removed his grandmother Maacah from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

14The high places were not taken away, but Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his entire life.

15He brought his father’s consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into the Lord’s temple: silver, gold, and utensils.

16There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns.

17Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah. He built Ramah in order to keep anyone from leaving or coming to King Asa of Judah.

18So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the treasuries of the royal palace and gave it to his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion king of Aram who lived in Damascus, saying,

19“There is a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go and break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.”

20Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all Chinnereth, and the whole land of Naphtali.

21When Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah.

22Then King Asa gave a command to everyone without exception in Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah with them.

23The rest of all the events of Asa’s reign, along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. But in his old age he developed a disease in his feet.

24Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place.