¶ Abia dyeth, after whom succedeh Asa.
CAPI. XIIII.
ANd Asa dyd that was good and ryghte [ A] in the eyes of the Lorde his God, and toke awaye the aulters of straungers, & the hyllaulters, and brake the ymages, and cut downe the groues, and commaunded Iuda to seke the Lorde God of their fathers, and to do accordynge to the lawe and commaunde∣ment. And he put awaye oute of all the cityes of Iuda, the hylaulters and the ydolles: for ye kyngdome was quiet before him. And he built stronge cityes in Iuda, bicause the land was in reste, & he had no warre in those yeres. For the Lorde had gyuen him rest.
And therfore he sayd to Iuda: let vs buylde [ B] these cityes, and compasse them with walles and towres, gates and barres, whyle we haue the lande quiet. For we haue sought the Lord oure God: and bicause we haue soughte him, he hathe giuen vs reste on euerye syde. And so they buylte and prospered. And Asa hadde an armye that bare shylde and spere, oute of Iu∣da thre hundred thousande / and oute of Ben∣Iamin that bare shilde and drewe bowes, two hundred and foure score thousande, and were all stronge men.
And there came oute agaynste them Zarah the Morian, with an host of ten hūdred thou∣sande, [ C] and thre hundred charettes, and came as ferre as Maresa. And Asa wente oute to him, and they put in araye to battayle in the valeye of Zephaiah besyde Maresa. And Asa cryed vnto the Lord his God, and sayd: Lorde it is all one with the, to helpe them that haue no power, with fewe or with manye: helpe vs O Lorde our God for we truste to the, and in thyne name we be come agaynste this multy∣tude. Thou arte the Lorde oure God, let not man preuayle against the. And the Lord smote [ D] the blacke Mores before Asa and Iuda, that they fled. And Asa and the people that was wt him, pursued them as farre as Gerar. And the blacke Mores were ouer throwen, that there remayned none alyue of them, but were de∣stroyed of the Lorde, and of his hoste / they ca∣ried also a mightye great pray. And they smote all the cityes rounde aboute Gerar. For the feare of the Lorde came vpon them. And they robbed all the cityes, for there was excedynge moche to be robbed in them. Furthermore they smote the tentes of the cattel, and caried away plentye of shepe, and camelles, and so returned to Ierusalem.