2 Chronicles 14:1-8

1Abijah died and they buried him beside his ancestors in the City of David. Abijah's son Asa became king after him. The country had peace for ten years while Asa was king.

2Asa did things that pleased the Lord his God.

3He removed the altars and other places where people worshipped foreign gods. He broke the stone pillars and he cut down the Asherah poles.

4Asa commanded the people of Judah to worship the Lord, the God of their ancestors. He told them to obey God's law and his commands.

5He removed the altars on the hills. He also removed the altars in all Judah's cities where people burned incense. There was peace in his kingdom while he ruled.

6While there was peace in the land, Asa made the cities of Judah strong and safe. No enemies fought wars against Judah during that time. The Lord gave Asa rest from any trouble.

7Asa said to Judah's people, ‘We should build these towns and make them stronger. We must put walls around them, with towers and strong gates. Judah still belongs to us because we have obeyed the Lord our God. He has made us safe from our enemies all around us.’ So the people made these towns strong. Everything went well for them.

8Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah. They carried big shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin's tribe. Those men carried small shields and they could shoot arrows with their bows. They were all brave soldiers who could fight well.