Asa, the fifth king of the House…

Asa, the fifth king of the House of David and the third of the Kingdom of Judah, reigns in Jerusalem from around 913 to 873 BCE, or 911 to 870 BCE according to I Kings and II Chronicles, which describe his reign in a favorable manner.

According to this Biblical account, Azariah son of Oded, a prophet, had exhorted Asa early on to reinforce strict national observance of Judaism, and Asa paid heed.

He has purged the land of pagan cults, all the sites of idolatrous worship being completely destroyed and the worshipers persecuted.

The Queen Mother, Maacah, had also been deposed for having been involved with idol worship.

There had also been a large-scale crackdown on prostitutes.

Finally, when the religious renewal is completed in Asa's fifteenth year, a great feast is held in Jerusalem with many sacrifices at the Temple.

At this time, many northerners, particularly from the tribes Ephraim and Manasseh, immigrate to the Kingdom of Judah because they see the success of Asa's policies.

By contrast, there is internal conflict in the Kingdom of Israel because of the fall of the dynasty of Jeroboam.