11 Asa obeyed the Lord, as David had done.
12 He forced the prostitutes at the shrines to leave the country, and he got rid of the idols his ancestors had made.
13 His own grandmother Maacah had made an idol of Asherah, and Asa took it and burnt it in Kidron Valley. Then he removed Maacah from her position as queen mother.
14 As long as Asa lived, he was completely faithful to the Lord, even though he did not destroy the local shrines.
15 He placed in the temple all the silver and gold objects that he and his father had dedicated to the Lord.
16 Asa was always at war with King Baasha of Israel.
17 One time, Baasha invaded Judah and captured the town of Ramah. He started making the town stronger, so he could put troops there to stop people from going in and out of Judah.