CHAPTER 16
1 Forsooth in the six and thirtieth year of his realm, Baasha, king of Israel, went up into Judah, and en-compassed Ramah with a wall, that no man of the realm of Asa might go out, either enter in securely.
2 And Asa brought forth gold and silver from the treasures [or treasuries] of the house of the Lord, and from the king’s treasures [or treasuries]; and sent to Benhadad, king of Syria, that dwelled in Damascus, and said,
3 Bond of peace is betwixt me and thee, and my father and thy father had accord together; wherefore I have sent to thee silver and gold, that when thou hast broken the bond of peace, which thou hast with Baasha, king of Israel, thou make him to go away from me.
4 And when this was found accept-able, Benhadad sent the princes of his hosts to the cities of Israel, which smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the walled cities of Naphtali.
5 And when Baasha had heard this, he ceased to build Ramah, and left [off] his work.
6 And king Asa took all Judah, and they took from Ramah the stones, and [the] wood, which Baasha had made ready to building; and he builded of those Geba, and Mizpah.
7 In that time Hanani, the prophet, came to Asa, king of Judah, and said to him, For-thy that thou haddest trust in the king of Syria, and not in the Lord thy God, therefore the host of the king of Syria escaped from thine hand.
8 Whether Ethiopians and Libyans were not many more in chariots, and knights, and in full great multitude; which, when thou haddest believed to the Lord, he betook them into thine hands?
9 For the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and give strength to them, that with perfect heart believe into him. Therefore thou hast done follily, and for this trust in men, yea, in this present time battles shall rise against thee.
10 And Asa was wroth against the prophet, and commanded him to be sent into the stocks. Forsooth the Lord had indignation greatly upon this thing, and he killed full many of the people in that time.
11 Soothly the first and [the] last works of Asa be written in the book of [the] kings of Judah and of Israel.
12 And Asa was sick full greatly in the aching of his feet, in the nine and thirtieth year of his realm; and neither in his sickness he sought the Lord, but he trusted more in the craft of leeches.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and was dead in the one and fortieth year of his realm.
14 And they buried him in his sep-ulchre, which he had made to himself in the city of David; and they put him on his bed full of sweet smelling spices and ointments of whores, that where made altogether by the craft of ointment makers, and they burnt these upon him with full great cost.