Now in the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, Abiam reigned over Juda.
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2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Maacha the daughter of Abessalom.
3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
4 But for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:
5 Because David had done that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from any thing that he commanded him, all the days of his life, except the matter of Urias the Hethite.
6 But there was war between Roboam and Jeroboam all the time of his life.
7 And the rest of the words of Abiam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda? And there was war between Abiam and Jeroboam.
8 And Abiam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Asa his son reigned in his stead.
9 So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, reigned Asa king of Juda,
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10 And he reigned one and forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacha, the daughter of Abessalom.
11 And Asa did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, as did David his father:
12 And he took away the effeminate out of the land, and he removed all the filth of the idols, which his fathers had made.
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13 Moreover he also removed his mother Maacha, from being the princess in the sacrifices of Priapus, and in the grove which she had consecrated to him: and he destroyed her den, and broke in pieces the filthy idol, and burnt it by the torrent Cedron:
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14 But the high places he did not take away. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect with the Lord all his days:
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15 And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and he had vowed, into the house of the Lord, silver and gold, and vessels.
16 And there was war between Asa, and Baasa king of Israel all their days.
17 And Baasa king of Israel went up against Juda, and built Rama, that no man might go out or come in, of the side of Asa king of Juda.
18 Then Asa took all the silver and gold that remained in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered it into the hands of his servants: and sent them to Benadad son of Tabremon the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying:
19 There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: therefore I have sent thee presents of silver and gold: and I desire thee to come, and break thy league with Baasa king of Israel, that he may depart from me.
20 Benadad hearkening to king Asa, sent the captains of his army against the cities of Israel, and they smote Ahion, and Dan, and Abeldomum Maacha, and all Cenneroth, that is all the land of Nephtali.
21 And when Baasa had heard this, he left off building Rama, and returned into Thersa.
22 But king Asa sent word into all Juda, saying: Let no man be excused: and they took away the stones from Rama, and the timber thereof wherewith Baasa had been building, and with them Asa built Gabaa of Benjamin, and Maspha.
23 But the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his strength, and all that he did and the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.
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24 And he slept with his fathers, and was buried with them in the city of David his father. And Josaphat his son reigned in his place.
25 But Nadab the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel the second year of Asa king of Juda: and he reigned over Israel two years.
26 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father, and in his sins, wherewith he made Israel to sin.
27 And Baasa the son of Ahias of the house of Issachar, conspired against him, and slew him in Gebbethon, which is a city of the Philistines: for Nadab and all Israel besieged Gebbethon.
28 So Baasa slew him in the third year of Asa king of Juda, and reigned in his place.
29 And when he was king he cut off all the house of Jeroboam: he left not so much as one soul of his seed, till he had utterly destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord, which he had spoken in the hand of Ahias the Silonite:
30 Because of the sin of Jeroboam, which he had sinned, and wherewith he had made Israel to sin, and for the offence, wherewith he provoked the Lord the God of Israel.
31 But the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?
32 And there was war between Asa and Baasa the king of Israel all their days.
33 In the third year of Asa king of Juda, Baasa the son of Ahias reigned over all Israel, in Thersa, four and twenty years.
34 And he did evil before the Lord, and walked in the ways of Jeroboam, and in his sins, wherewith he made Israel to sin.
Ephrem the Syrian
“"Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah," and under his rule the Jews obtained a magnificent victory over the Israelites in a battle, which was greater than all those fought before in their civil wars. It is said that after the two multitudes of soldiers were drawn up in fighting order, Abijam appeared to have four hundred thousand men, and Jeroboam eight hundred thousand. The Jews won, while the number of the Israelites who fell in action was larger than five hundred thousand, which is an extremely rare occurrence in history.”
Ephrem the Syrian
“In the meantime, Asa devoted himself to the reconstruction of the ruins of religion. He destroyed the temples of the idols, smashed the statues, set the sacred woods on fire and removed the ignominy of the effeminate priests. He also drove away Maacah, the mother of his father, Abijam. [She] was the high priestess of that abomination, and he chased her off from that place of honor that she was holding and broke her idols and burned them. Therefore, after removing the worship of the idols in this manner, he restored the holy rites of true religion and constantly protected all the sacred institutions for the forty-one years in which he ruled over the state.”
Augustine of Hippo
“Look for a little at those books on the Republic from which you drew that ideal of the most devoted citizen: that there should be no limit or legitimate restriction on his service. Look, I beg you, and notice with what high praise frugality and temperance are there spoken of, as well as fidelity to the marriage bond, and chaste, honorable and upright conduct. When a state excels in these, it can truly be said to bloom. But in churches in growing numbers all over the world, as in holy gatherings of peoples, these principles are taught and learned; above all, the devotion by which the true and truth-giving God is worshiped, who not only commands these principles to be kept but also gives them fulfillment. It is by these that the human mind is prepared and made fit for the divine society and for its habitation in the eternal heavenly country. Hence he has foretold that the images of the many false gods would be overturned and has commanded them to be overturned.”
Aphrahat the Persian Sage
“Furthermore, the adversary tempted Job through his children and his possessions, and when he could not prevail over him, he went and brought against him his armor, and he came, bringing with him a daughter of Eve, who had caused Adam to sink, and through her mouth he said to Job, her righteous husband, "Curse God." But Job rejected her counsel. King Asa also conquered the Accursed-of-life, when he wished to come in against him, through his mother. For Asa knew his craftiness and removed his mother from her high estate and cut in pieces her idol and cast it down.”
Jerome
“Regarding many kings of the line of David, we read that they were saved not through their own merit but through the virtues of their father, David, who did that which was pleasing in the sight of God. And we come to Asa, the king of Judah, of whom it is written: "Asa did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, as did David, his father." And after a lengthy account of his many virtues, the story is concluded with these words: "But the high places he did not take away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was perfect with God all the days of his life." You see that he, too, is referred to as just, and his heart, indeed, was perfect with God, and yet he erred in that he did not take away the high places, as, we read, Hezekiah and Josiah had done.”
Ishodad of Merv
“"High places" refers to the altars that had been erected for the true God. This means that sacrifices were offered to God in any place, just like Solomon offered a thousand holocausts to God in Gibeon. Therefore the words "the high places were not taken away [by Asa]" mean that they did not worship or sacrifice before a single altar according to the commandment of God, that is, in Jerusalem, as is prescribed by the Law. [The Scripture] does not speak here about the altars [consecrated] to idols but about those consecrated to the true God.”
John Chrysostom
“"What, then," you will say, "do all illnesses come in punishment for sin?" No, not all, but many do; some spring from laxity. I say this because gluttony and drunkenness and sloth give rise to sicknesses of this kind. Accordingly, we must be watchful for one thing only: that we bear every blow with gratitude. At times the blow comes to chastise sin, as in the book of Kings we see a man [i.e., King Asa] seized with a foot disease for this reason. On the other hand, the blow might be inflicted to increase righteousness still further, as God says to Job, "Do you think that I have had dealings with you for any other reason than 'that you might be justified?' "”