Troubles with Israel
(1 Kings 15.17-22)1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and started to fortify Ramah in order to cut off all traffic in and out of Judah. 2 So Asa took silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple and the palace and sent it to Damascus, to King Benhadad of Syria, with this message: 3 “Let us be allies, as our fathers were. This silver and gold is a present for you. Now break your alliance with King Baasha of Israel so that he will have to pull his troops out of my territory.”
4 Benhadad agreed to Asa's proposal and sent his commanding officers and their armies to attack the cities of Israel. They captured Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the cities of Naphtali where supplies were stored. 5 When King Baasha heard what was happening, he stopped fortifying Ramah and abandoned the work. 6 Then King Asa gathered men from throughout Judah and had them carry off the stones and timbers that Baasha had been using at Ramah, and they used them to fortify the cities of Geba and Mizpah.
The Prophet Hanani
7 At that time the prophet Hanani went to King Asa and said, “Because you relied on the king of Syria instead of relying on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Israel has escaped from you. 8 Didn't the Ethiopians and the Libyans have large armies with many chariots and cavalry troops? But because you relied on the Lord, he gave you victory over them. 9 The Lord keeps close watch over the whole world, to give strength to those whose hearts are loyal to him. You have acted foolishly, and so from now on you will always be at war.” 10 This made Asa so angry with the prophet that he had him put in chains. It was at this same time that Asa began treating some of the people cruelly.
The End of Asa's Reign
(1 Kings 15.231 24)11 All the events of Asa's reign from beginning to end are recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year that Asa was king, he was crippled by a severe foot disease; but even then he did not turn to the Lord for help, but to doctors. 13 Two years later he died 14 and was buried in the rock tomb which he had carved out for himself in David's City. They used spices and perfumed oils to prepare his body for burial, and they built a huge bonfire to mourn his death.
النزاع مع إسرائيل
(1مل 15:16-22)1 في السَّنةِ السَّادسَةِ والثَّلاثينَ مِنْ مُلْكِ آسا، زحَفَ بَعْشا مَلِكُ إِسرائيلَ على يَهوذا، وبَدأَ بِتَحصينِ الرَّامَةِ حتّى لا يَدَعَ أحدا يخرُجُ مِنْ يَهوذا أو يدخُلُ إليها. 2 فأخرَجَ آسا الفِضَّةَ والذَّهبَ مِنْ خَزائِنِ الهَيكلِ وقصرِ المَلِكِ وأرسلَها إلى بَنهَدَدَ مَلِكِ آرامَ في دِمَشقَ وقالَ لَه: 3 «ليكُنْ بَيني وبَينَكَ عَهدٌ، كما كانَ بَينَ أبـي وأبـيكَ، وها أنا مُرسِلٌ إليكَ فِضَّةً وذهَبا، فانقُضْ عَهدَكَ معَ بَعْشا مَلِكِ إِسرائيلَ، فيَنْصَرِفَ عنِّي». 4 فاستَجابَ بَنهَدَدُ لِلمَلِكِ آسا وأرسَلَ قادَةَ جُيوشِهِ إلى مُدُنِ إِسرائيلَ، فاحتَلُّوا عُيونَ ودانَ وآبَلَ مايمَ وجميعَ مُدُنِ نَفتالي حَيثُ توجَدُ المَخازِنُ. 5 فلمَّا سَمِعَ بَعْشا بِما جَرى، كَفَّ عَنْ تَحصينِ الرَّامةِ وأوقَفَ عمَلَهُ فيها. 6 فجمَعَ المَلِكُ آسا رِجالا مِنْ جميعِ أرضِ يَهوذا، فحَمَلوا حِجارةَ الرَّامةِ والأخشابَ الّتي اسْتَعمَلَها وحَصَّنَ بِها جَبْعةَ والمِصفاةَ.
حناني الرائي
7 وفي ذلِكَ الوقتِ جاءَ حناني الرَّائي إلى المَلِكِ آسا وقالَ لَه: «لأنَّكَ اتَّكلْتَ على مَلِكِ آرامَ ولم تَتَّكِلْ على الرّبِّ إلهِكَ، نَجا مِنْ يَدِكَ مَلِكُ إِسرائيلَ. 8 ألم يكُنِ الكوشيُّونَ واللَّوبـيُّونَ جيشا كثيرا بِمَركباتٍ وفُرسانٍ، لكِنْ حينَ اتَّكَلْتَ على الرّبِّ أسلَمَهُم إلى يَدِكَ؟ 9 ألا تَعلَمُ أنَّ عَينَيِ الرّبِّ تَجولانِ في جميعِ الأرضِ حتّى يتَشَجَّعَ جميعُ المُخْلِصينَ لَه؟ أنتَ تصَرَّفْتَ بِـحَماقةٍ في هذا الأمرِ، فمِنَ الآنَ تكونُ دائِما في حالَةِ حربٍ». 10 فغَضِبَ آسا على الرَّائي غضَبا شديدا ورَماهُ في السِّجنِ، ثُمَّ بَدأَ في ذلِكَ الوقتِ يُضايقُ بَعضا مِنَ الشَّعبِ.
نهاية ملك آسا
(1مل 15:23-24)11 وأخبارُ آسا، مِنْ أوَّلِها إلى آخِرِها، مُدَوَّنَةٌ في سِفرِ مُلوكِ يَهوذا وإِسرائيلَ. 12 واعْتَلَّ آسا في رِجلَيهِ، في السَّنةِ التَّاسعةِ والثَّلاثينَ مِنْ مُلْكِهِ. ومعَ أنَّ العِلَّةَ اشْتَدَّت علَيهِ فإنَّهُ لم يَستَعِنْ بِالرّبِّ بل بِالأطِبَّاءِ. 13 ولَحِقَ آسا بآبائِهِ وماتَ في السَّنةِ الحاديةِ والأربعينَ مِنْ مُلْكِهِ 14 ودُفِنَ في مقبَرَتِهِ الّتي حفَرَها لِنَفْسِهِ في مدينةِ داوُدَ، بَعدَ أنْ سَجَّوهُ في سريرٍ مَملوءٍ أطيابا وأصنافا عَطِرَةً صنَعَها العَطَّارونَ وأشعَلوا نارا عَظيمَةً تكريما لَه.