The Skeptics Annotated Bible (383 page)

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 brake down the images, and cut down the groves:

(14.2-3)
“Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD.”

(14.3)
“For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves.”

4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.

5 Also
he took away
out of all the cities of Judah
the high places
and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.

(14.5)
“He took away … the high places.”
234 Did Asa remove the high places?

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, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

8 And
Asa had an army
of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.

(14.8-14) In the largest single God-assisted massacre in the Bible, Asa kills one million Ethiopians.
God’s 120th Killing

9
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand
, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

(14.8-9)
“Asa had an army … And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand.”

10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

11 And
Asa cried unto the LORD
his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power:
help us, O LORD
our God; for we rest on thee, and
in thy name we go against this multitude
. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

(14.11) “Asa cried unto the LORD … help us, O LORD … in thy name we go against this multitude. ”

12
So the LORD smote the Ethiopians
before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.

(14.12) “So the LORD smote the Ethiopians.”

13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and
the Ethiopians
were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they
were destroyed before the LORD
, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.

(14.13) “The Ethiopians were … destroyed before the LORD.”

14 And
they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities
; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.

(14.14) “They smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities.”

15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

15
And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.

6 And
nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.

(15.6)
“Nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.”

7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

8 And when
Asa
heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and
put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah
and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.

(15.8) “Asa … put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah.”

9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for
they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him
.

(15.9)
“They fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.”
Everybody loved Asa and wanted to follow him because they could see that God was with him.