2 Chronicles 14:4-15

14:4 He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors ¹  and to observe his law and commands. ²  14:5 He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule. ³ 

14:6 He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace. 14:7 He said to the people of Judah: ⁴  “Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates. ⁵  The land remains ours because we have followed ⁶  the Lord our God and he has made us secure on all sides.” ⁷  So they built the cities ⁸  and prospered.

14:8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors. 14:9 Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 ⁹  men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah, 14:10 and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

14:11 Asa prayed ¹⁰  to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. ¹¹  Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. ¹²  O Lord our God, don’t let men prevail against you!” ¹³  14:12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 14:13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out; ¹⁴  they were shattered before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah ¹⁵  carried off a huge amount of plunder. 14:14 They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the Lord caused them to panic. ¹⁶  The men of Judah ¹⁷  looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount of goods. ¹⁸  14:15 They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock. ¹⁹  They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem. ²⁰ 

[14:4]  ¹ tn Heb “fathers.”

[14:4]  ² tn Heb “the law and the command.”

[14:5]  ³ tn Heb “before him.”

[14:7]  ⁴ tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.

[14:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “and we will surround [them] with wall[s] and towers, doors, and bars.”

[14:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “sought.”

[14:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he has given us rest all around.”

[14:7]  ⁸ tn The words “the cities” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[14:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “a thousand thousands.”

[14:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “called out.”

[14:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “there is not with you to help between many with regard to [the one] without strength.”

[14:11]  ¹² tn Heb “and in your name we have come against this multitude.”

[14:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “let not man retain [strength] with you.”

[14:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and there fell from the Cushites so that there was not to them preservation of life.”

[14:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “for the terror of the Lord was upon them.”

[14:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “for great plunder was in them.”

[14:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and also they struck down the tents of the livestock.”

[14:15]  ²⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.