was wroth with the seer, and put him in the prison house; for
he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed
some of the people the same time. And in the thirty and ninth year of
his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding
{254} great: yet in his disease he went not to the Lord, but to the
physicians.

And Asa died in the one and fortieth year of his reign. And they
buried him in his own sepulchers, which he had hewn out for himself in
the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet
odors and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art:
and they made a very great burning for him.

{255}

JEHOSHAPHAT.

_The Story of a Good King Who Feared God and Served the Nation Well_.

(Jehoshaphat was one of the wisest and best of the kings of Judah. He
increased the territory of the nation greatly. He conquered Edom so
that it was governed by a vassal king. By conquering this country he
gained a seaport, and it is interesting to note that he fitted out a
fleet of ships and attempted to revive the trade of Solomon for the
gold of Ophir. The ships, however, never reached their destination.
They were wrecked when starting on their first voyage, and he did not
have the courage to repeat the attempt. For the first time since the
reign of Solomon, there was peace between Judah and Israel. A treaty
was made between the two kings, and Jehoram, heir to the throne of
Judah, was married to Athaliah, daughter of King Ahab of Israel.
Through this alliance it was hoped no doubt to join the two kingdoms
and restore the lost glory of the past. The attempt ended in failure.
Athaliah was wicked, like all the race of Ahab and Jezebel, and
brought only disaster to Judah.)

And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa reigned in his stead, and strengthened
himself against Israel. And he placed forces in all the fenced cities
of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of
Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken; and Jehoshaphat made peace
with the king of Israel. And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he
walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not the idols
of Baal; but sought the God of {256} his father, and walked in his
commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. Therefore the Lord
established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to
Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honor in abundance.

Also in the thir