3. He did all the same sins his father before him had done. Abijam was not faithful to the Lord his God as David, his great-grandfather, had been.
4. Because the Lord loved David, the Lord gave him a kingdom in Jerusalem and allowed him to have a son to be king after him. The Lord also kept Jerusalem safe.
5. David always did what the Lord said was right and obeyed his commands all his life, except the one time when David sinned against Uriah the Hittite.
6. There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam during Abijam’s lifetime.
7. Everything else Abijam did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. During the time Abijam ruled, there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
8. Abijam died and was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Asa became king in his place.
9. During the twentieth year Jeroboam was king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah.
10. His grandmother’s name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. Asa ruled in Jerusalem for forty-one years.
11. Asa did what the Lord said was right, as his ancestor David had done.
12. He forced the male prostitutes at the worship places to leave the country. He also took away the idols that his ancestors had made.
13. His grandmother Maacah had made a terrible Asherah idol, so Asa removed her from being queen mother. He cut down that idol and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
14. The places of worship to gods were not removed. Even so, Asa was faithful to the Lord all his life.
15. Asa brought into the Temple of the Lord the gifts he and his father had given: gold, silver, and utensils.
16. There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all the time they were kings.
17. Baasha attacked Judah, and he made the town of Ramah strong so he could keep people from leaving or entering Judah, Asa’s country.