2. And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God,
3. for he took away the altars of the strange gods and the high places and broke down the images and cut down the groves
4. and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and they fulfilled the law and the commandments.
5. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images, and the kingdom had rest before him.
6. And he built fenced cities in Judah, for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years because the Lord had given him rest.
7. Therefore, he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities and make about them walls and towers, gates, and bars, now that the land is ours; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side. So they built and were prospered.
8. And Asa had an army of men that bore shields and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and eighty thousand; all these were mighty men of valour.
9. And there came out against them Zerah, the Ethiopian, with a host of a thousand thousand and three hundred chariots and came unto Mareshah.
10. Then Asa went out against him, and they ordered the battle in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.