בִּשְׁנַת שְׁלֹשִׁים וָשֵׁשׁ לְמַלְכוּת אָסָא עָלָה בַּעְשָׁא מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל־יְהוּדָה וַיִּבֶן אֶת־הָרָמָה לְבִלְתִּי תֵּת יוֹצֵא וָבָא לְאָסָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה

In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah. Baasha was a man of war who rebelled against Nadav son of Yorovam, established his own royal dynasty in Israel, and destroyed the entire house of Yorovam. When his grip on the throne became firmly established, Baasha rose up against Judah, and without yet attacking he built fortifications in Rama, a city near the southern border of the Kingdom of Israel, so as not to allow going and coming for Asa king of Judah. He planned to control the main routes leading from Judah to Israel, and to blockade them before the king of Judah to the best of his ability.

וַיֹּצֵא אָסָא כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב מֵאֹצְרוֹת בֵּית ה' וּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל־בֶּן־הֲדַד מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם הַיּוֹשֵׁב בְּדַרְמֶשֶׂק לֵאמֹר׃

While not yet under direct attack, Asa felt threatened. Asa took out silver and gold from the treasuries of the House of the Lord and the house of the king, the kingdom’s emergency funds, and he sent to Ben Hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying:

בְּרִית בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וּבֵין אָבִי וּבֵין אָבִיךָ הִנֵּה שָׁלַחְתִּי לְךָ כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב לֵךְ הָפֵר בְּרִיתְךָ אֶת בַּעְשָׁא מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיַעֲלֶה מֵעָלָי

There is a covenant, peaceful relations, between me and you, and between my father and your father. For years relations between us have been good. We do not share a common border, while our mutual enemy, the king of Israel, resides between us. Therefore, behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go now, breach your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, and attack him, and he will withdraw from upon me, as was the accepted practice in alliances in the ancient world. These agreements between nations would quickly dissipate due to bribery or some other means of achieving the interests of a party to the agreement.

וַיִּשְׁמַע בֶּן־הֲדַד אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אָסָא וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ אֶל־עָרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־עִיּוֹן וְאֶת־דָּן וְאֵת אָבֵל מָיִם וְאֵת כָּל־מִסְכְּנוֹת עָרֵי נַפְתָּלִי

Ben Hadad heeded King Asa, as he liked the idea, and he sent the commanders of his soldiers, several regiments of his army, against the cities of Israel; they smote Iyon, Dan, Avel Mayim, and all the storehouse cities of Naphtali, on the northern border of the Kingdom of Israel.

וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ בַּעְשָׁא וַיֶּחְדַּל מִבְּנוֹת אֶת־הָרָמָה וַיַּשְׁבֵּת אֶת־מְלַאכְתּוֹ

It was when Baasha heard of the attack, that he ceased building Rama and suspended its labor, in order to focus on the efforts to stabilize his northern borders. Although there was a historic dimension to his dispute with Judah, the Aramean attack posed a far greater threat.

וְאָסָא הַמֶּלֶךְ לָקַח אֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָה וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־אַבְנֵי הָרָמָה וְאֶת־עֵצֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה בַּעְשָׁא וַיִּבֶן בָּהֶם אֶת־גֶּבַע וְאֶת־הַמִּצְפָּה

King Asa took, gathered, all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Rama and its wood; they dismantled the fortified structures that Baasha had built, and he built with them Geva and the Mitzpa in the Kingdom of Judah.

וּבָעֵת הַהִיא בָּא חֲנָנִי הָרֹאֶה אֶל־אָסָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו בּהִשָּׁעֶנְךָ עַל־מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם וְלֹא נִשְׁעַנְתָּ עַל־ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ עַל־כֵּן נִמְלַט חֵיל מֶלֶךְ־אֲרָם מִיָּדֶךָ

At that time Hanani the seer, a prophet not mentioned elsewhere, came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: For your reliance on the king of Aram in your quarrel with the king of Israel, and since you gave him the treasures of the House of God and of the king’s house and you did not rely on the Lord your God, the forces of the king of Aram have therefore fled from your hand. From this point forward, you will have to deal with the Arameans from a position of inferiority.

הֲלֹא הַכּוּשִׁים וְהַלּוּבִים הָיוּ לְחַיִל לָרֹב לְרֶכֶב וּלְפָרָשִׁים לְהַרְבֵּה מְאֹד וּבְהִשָּׁעֶנְךָ עַל־ה' נְתָנָם ה' בְּיָדֶךָ

Weren’t the Kushites (see 14:12) and the Libyans, who attacked you in the past, a vast force, with very many chariots and horsemen? And yet, in your reliance on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. The attack of those armies was an immeasurably greater threat than this one, but you were able to defeat them and drive them away because you trusted in God.

כִּי ה'עֵינָיו מְשֹׁטְטוֹת בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ לְהִתְחַזֵּק עִם לְבָבָם שָׁלֵם אֵלָיו נִסְכַּלְתָּ עַל־זֹאת כִּי מֵעַתָּה יֵשׁ עִמְּךָ מִלְחָמוֹת

For the Lord, His eyes range throughout the entire land; He watches over everything, to strengthen those whose heart is whole toward Him and who trust in Him, and it is clear that you are not completely devoted to God. You have been foolish in this, as indeed from now, there will be wars upon you.

וַיִּכְעַס אָסָא אֶל הָרֹאֶה וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ בֵּית הַמַּהְפֶּכֶת כִּי בְזַעַף עִמּוֹ עַל־זֹאת וַיְרַצֵּץ אָסָא מִן־הָעָם בָּעֵת הַהִיא

Up to this point, the prophets had invariably encouraged Asa, and he had accepted their words. This was the first time that a prophet rebuked him. Asa was angry with the seer and placed him in the prison, perhaps a dungeon or a cage, as he was in a rage with him over this matter. Furthermore, after thirty-five years of successful reign, Asa changed his behavior toward his subjects: Asa afflicted, oppressed, some of the people at that time.

וְהִנֵּה דִּבְרֵי אָסָא הָרִאשׁוֹנִים וְהָאַחֲרוֹנִים הִנָּם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר הַמְּלָכִים לִיהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל

Behold, the early and late matters concerning Asa, and the changes that occurred between the beginning and the end of his reign; behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

וַיֶּחֱלֶא אָסָא בִּשְׁנַת שְׁלוֹשִׁים וָתֵשַׁע לְמַלְכוּתוֹ בְּרַגְלָיו עַד־לְמַעְלָה חָלְיוֹ וְגַם בְּחָלְיוֹ לֹא־דָרַשׁ אֶת־ה' כִּי בָּרֹפְאִים

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa contracted an ailment in his legs, and his ailment grew acute. But even in his ailment he also did not seek the Lord and did not pray to Him, but rather, he trusted exclusively in the physicians.

וַיִּשְׁכַּב אָסָא עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיָּמָת בִּשְׁנַת אַרְבָּעִים וְאַחַת לְמָלְכוֹ

Asa lay with his fathers, and died in the forty-first year of his reign. Asa ruled for many years.

וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בְקִבְרֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר כָּרָה־לוֹ בְּעִיר דָּוִיד וַיַּשְׁכִּיבֻהוּ בַּמִּשְׁכָּב אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּא בְּשָׂמִים וּזְנִים מְרֻקָּחִים בְּמִרְקַחַת מַעֲשֶׂה וַיִּשְׂרְפוּ־לוֹ שְׂרֵפָה גְּדוֹלָה עַד־לִמְאֹד

They buried him in his graves which he had excavated for himself in the City of David, and laid him in the bed that he had filled with spices and different blends of spices in a blend of craft, the work of an expert in mixing perfumes; and they kindled a very great conflagration for him. One of the rites connected to the burial of kings included a burning ritual for a ruler who died peacefully in his bed. This ritual, which also involved burning some of the king’s property so that it could not be used by anyone else, was performed in honor of the deceased and to lament his passing.