7. The rest of the events of Abijam’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. There was also war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
8. Abijam rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa became king in his place.
9. In the twentieth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Asa became king of Judah
10. and reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
11. Asa did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, as his ancestor David had done.
12. He banished the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all of the idols that his fathers had made.
13. He 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.
14. The high places were not taken away; but Asa’s heart was completely devoted to the Lord his entire life.
15. He brought his father’s consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into the Lord’s temple: silver, gold, and utensils.
16. There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.
17. Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah. He built Ramah in order to deny anyone access to Judah’s King Asa.
18. So 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 put it into the hands of 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 Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.”
20. Ben-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.