I Kings 15

3  He continued in all the sins that his father before him had committed; he was not wholehearted with Hashem his God, like his father David.

4  Yet, for the sake of David, Hashem his God gave him a lamp in Yerushalayim, by raising up his descendant after him and by preserving Yerushalayim.

5  For David had done what was pleasing to Hashem and never turned throughout his life from all that He had commanded him, except in the matter of Uriya the Hittite.

6  There was war between Abijam and Yerovam all the days of his life.

7  The other events of Abijam’s reign and all his actions are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Yehuda; there was war between Abijam and Yerovam.

8  Abijam slept with his fathers; he was buried in the City of David, and his son Asa succeeded him as king.

9  In the twentieth year of King Yerovam of Yisrael, Asa became king over Yehuda.

10  He reigned forty-one years in Yerushalayim; his mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

11  Asa did what was pleasing to Hashem, as his father David had done.

12  He expelled the male prostitutes from the land, and he removed all the idols that his ancestors had made.

13  He also deposed his mother Maacah from the rank of queen mother, because she had made an abominable thing for [the goddess] Asherah. Asa cut down her abominable thing and burnt it in the Wadi Kidron.

14  The shrines, indeed, were not abolished; however, Asa was wholehearted with Hashem his God all his life.

15  He brought into the House of Hashem all the consecrated things of his father and his own consecrated things—silver, gold, and utensils.

16  There was war between Asa and King Basha of Yisrael all their days.

17  King Basha of Yisrael advanced against Yehuda, and he fortified Rama to prevent anyone belonging to King Asa from going out or coming in.

18  So Asa took all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the House of Hashem as well as the treasuries of the royal palace, and he entrusted them to his officials. King Asa sent them to King Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion of Aram, who resided in Damascus, with this message:

19  “There is a pact between you and me, and between your father and my father. I herewith send you a gift of silver and gold: Go and break your pact with King Basha of Yisrael, so that he may withdraw from me.”

20  Ben-hadad responded to King Asa’s request; he sent his army commanders against the towns of Yisrael and captured Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, as well as all the land of Naftali.

21  When Basha heard about it, he stopped fortifying Rama and remained in Tirtza.

22  Then King Asa mustered all Yehuda, with no exemptions; and they carried away the stones and timber with which Basha had fortified Rama. With these King Asa fortified Geba of Binyamin, and Mitzpa.

23  All the other events of Asa’s reign, and all his exploits, and all his actions, and the towns that he fortified, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Yehuda. However, in his old age he suffered from a foot ailment.

24  Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David. His son Yehoshafat succeeded him as king.

25  Nadav son of Yerovam had become king over Yisrael in the second year of King Asa of Yehuda, and he reigned over Yisrael for two years.

26  He did what was displeasing to Hashem; he continued in the ways of his father, in the sins which he caused Yisrael to commit.

27  Then Basha son of Achiya, of the House of Yissachar, conspired against him; and Basha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines, while Nadav and all Yisrael were laying siege to Gibbethon.

28  Basha killed him in the third year of King Asa of Yehuda and became king in his stead.

29  As soon as he became king, he struck down all the House of Yerovam; he did not spare a single soul belonging to Yerovam until he destroyed it—in accordance with the word that Hashem had spoken through His servant, the NaviAchiya the Shilonite

30  because of the sins which Yerovam committed and which he caused Yisrael to commit thereby vexing Hashem, the God of Yisrael.

31  The other events of Nadav’s reign and all his actions are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Yisrael.

32  There was war between Asa and King Basha of Yisrael all their days.

33  In the third year of King Asa of Yehuda, Basha son of Achiya became king in Tirtza over all Yisrael—for twenty-four years.

34  He did what was displeasing to Hashem; he followed the ways of Yerovam and the sins which he caused Yisrael to commit.