e
Israelites enjoyed peace for ten years.

4. And so far concerning Abijah, the son of Rehoboam, the son of
Solomon, as his history hath come down to us. But Jeroboam, the king
of the ten tribes, died when he had governed them two and twenty years;
whose son Nadab succeeded him, in the second year of the reign of Asa.
Now Jeroboam's son governed two years, and resembled his father in
impiety and wickedness. In these two years he made an expedition against
Gibbethon, a city of the Philistines, and continued the siege in order
to take it; but he was conspired against while he was there by a friend
of his, whose name was Baasha, the son of Ahijah, and was slain; which
Baasha took the kingdom after the other's death, and destroyed the whole
house of Jeroboam. It also came to pass, according as God had foretold,
that some of Jeroboam's kindred that died in the city were torn to
pieces and devoured by dogs, and that others of them that died in the
fields were torn and devoured by the fowls. So the house of Jeroboam
suffered the just punishment of his impiety, and of his wicked actions.

CHAPTER 12. How Zerah, King Of The Ethiopians, Was Beaten By Asa; And
How Asa, Upon Baasha's Making War Against Him, Invited The King Of The
Damascens To Assist Him; And How, On The Destruction Of The House Of
Baasha Zimri Got The Kingdom As Did His Son Ahab After Him.

1. Now Asa, the king of Jerusalem, was of an excellent character, and
had a regard to God, and neither did nor designed any thing but what had
relation to the observation of the laws. He made a reformation of his
kingdom, and cut off whatsoever was wicked therein, and purified it from
every impurity. Now he had an army of chosen men that were armed with
targets and spears; out of the tribe of Judah three hundred thousand;
and out of the tribe of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, two
hundred and fifty thousand. But when he had already reigned ten years,
Zerah, king of Ethiopia, [30] made an expedition against him, with a
great army, of nine hundred thousand footmen, and one hundred thousand
horsemen, and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah, a
city that belonged to the tribe of Judah. Now when Zerah had passed
so far with his own army, Asa met him, and put his army in array over
against him, in a valley called Zephathah, not far from the city; and
when he saw the multitude of the Ethiopians, he cried out, and besought
God to give him the victory