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JUNE 3
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5 because David did what was right in the eyes or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa
of the LORD, and had not turned aside from took all the silver and gold that was left in the
anything that He commanded him all the days treasuries of the house of the LORD and the
of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hit- treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered
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tite. And there was war between Rehoboam them into the hand of his servants. And King
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and Jeroboam all the days of his life. Now the Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad the son of
rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria,
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are they not written in the book of the chroni- who dwelt in Damascus, saying, “Let there be
cles of the kings of Judah? And there was war a treaty between you and me, as there was
between Abijam and Jeroboam. between my father and your father. See, I have
8 So Abijam rested with his fathers, and they sent you a present of silver and gold. Come
buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his and break your treaty with Baasha king of Is-
son reigned in his place. rael, so that he will withdraw from me.”
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of 20 So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent
Israel, Asa became king over Judah. And he the captains of his armies against the cities of
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reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth
grandmother’s name was Maachah the grand- Maachah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land
daughter of Abishalom. Asa did what was right of Naphtali. Now it happened, when Baasha
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in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David. heard it, that he stopped building Ramah, and
12 And he banished the perverted persons from remained in Tirzah.
the land, and removed all the idols that his 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation
fathers had made. Also he removed Maachah throughout all Judah; none was exempted.
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his grandmother from being queen mother, And they took away the stones and timber of
because she had made an obscene image of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building;
Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and with them King Asa built Geba of Benja-
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and burned it by the Brook Kidron. But the min, and Mizpah.
high places were not removed. Nevertheless 23 The rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might,
all that he did, and the cities which he built,
are they not written in the book of the chroni-
cles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of
his old age he was diseased in his feet. So
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15:11–15 Asa did 4 good things: 1) he
removed the sacred prostitutes (v. 12); 2) he Asa rested with his fathers, and was buried
rid the land of all the idols made by his prede- with his fathers in the City of David his father.
cessors (v. 12); 3) he removed the corrupt Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his
queen mother and burned the idol she had place.
made; and 4) he placed holy things,items that 25 Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam became
he and his father had dedicated to the Lord, king over Israel in the second year of Asa king
back in the temple (v. 15). Though he never of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years.
engaged in idolatry, Asa’s failure was his toler- 26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and
ation of the high places (v. 14). walked in the way of his father, and in his sin
by which he had made Israel sin.
15:13 obscene image. This term is derived 27 Then Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house
from the verb “to shudder” (Job 9:6). It sug- of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha
gests a shocking, perhaps even a sexually killed him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the
explicit, idol. Asa removed his grandmother, Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel laid siege
Maacah, the official queen mother,because of to Gibbethon. Baasha killed him in the third
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her association with this idol.
year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his
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place. And it was so, when he became king,
that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did
Asa’s heart was loyal to the LORD all his days. not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed,
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He also brought into the house of the LORD until he had destroyed him, according to the
the things which his father had dedicated, and word of the LORD which He had spoken by His
the things which he himself had dedicated: sil- servant Ahijah the Shilonite, because of the
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ver and gold and utensils. sins of Jeroboam, which he had sinned and by
16 Now there was war between Asa and which he had made Israel sin, because of his
Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 And provocation with which he had provoked the
Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, LORD God of Israel to anger.
and built Ramah, that he might let none go out 31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all
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