15:19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign. 16:1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah, and he established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. 1 16:2 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and sent it to King Ben Hadad of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 16:3 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. 2 See, I have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.” 3 16:4 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. 4 They conquered 5 Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, 6 and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 16:5 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying 7 Ramah and abandoned the project. 8 16:6 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. 9 He used the materials to build up 10 Geba and Mizpah.
16:7 At that time Hanani the prophet 11 visited King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 16:8 Did not the Cushites and Libyans have a huge army with chariots and a very large number of horsemen? But when you relied on the Lord, he handed them over to you! 16:9 Certainly 12 the Lord watches the whole earth carefully 13 and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him. 14 You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war. 16:10 Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail. 15 Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.
1 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
2 tn Heb “[May there be] a covenant between me and you [as there was] between my father and your father.”
3 tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.”
4 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
5 tn Heb “They struck down.”
6 sn In the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 15:20, this city’s name appears as Abel Beth Maacah. These appear to be variant names for the same place.
7 tn Heb “building.”
8 tn Heb “and he caused his work to cease.”
9 tn Heb “and King Asa took all Judah and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.”
10 tn Heb “and he built with them.”
11 tn Heb “the seer.”
12 tn Or “for.”
13 tn Heb “the eyes of the
14 tn Heb “to strengthen himself with their heart, [the one] complete toward him.”
15 tn Heb “and Asa was angry at the seer, and he put him [in] the house of stocks, because of his rage with him over this.”