2 Chronicles 15

1 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.

Now, as for Azariah son of Oded, there came upon him, the spirit of God.

2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all of Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you look for him, you will find him; but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.

So he went forth to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear me, O Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin, —Yahweh, is with you, so long as ye are with him, and, if ye seek him, he will be found of you, but, if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

3 For many years Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the law.

Now, many days, had Israel been, —without the faithful God, and without a teaching priest, and without the law;

4 But when they were in trouble they returned to the Lord, the God of Israel—they looked for him, and they found him.

But they turned, in their distress, unto Yahweh God of Israel, —and sought him, and he was found of them.

5 During those times travel was dangerous, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. People everywhere had terrible problems.

And, in those times, there had been no prosperity, to him that went out nor to him that came in, —for, great consternations, were upon all the inhabitants of the lands;

6 Nation fought nation, and town fought town, for God threw them into a panic with all kinds of trouble.

and they were beaten in pieces-nation against nation, and city against city, —for, God, discomfited them with all manner of distress.

7 But you need to be strong, not weak, for you will be rewarded for the work you do.”

Ye, therefore, be strong, and let not your hands be slack, —for there is a reward for your work!

8 When Asa heard these words of prophecy from Azariah the prophet, son of Oded, he was encouraged. He removed the vile idols from the whole territory of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. Then he repaired the altar of the Lord that stood in front of the porch of the Lord's Temple.

And, when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he strengthened himself, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had captured out of the hill country of Ephraim, —and renewed the altar of Yahweh, that was before the porch of Yahweh.

9 Then Asa summoned all of Judah and Benjamin, along with those Israelites from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were living among them, for many people had deserted Israel and come over to Asa when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

And he gathered together all Judah and Benjamin, and the sojourners with them, out of Ephraim and out of Manasseh, and out of Simeon, —for they fell unto him out of Israel, in great numbers, because they saw that, Yahweh his God, was with him.

10 They gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign.

So they gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem, in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11 That day they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the plunder they had brought back.

And they sacrificed unto Yahweh, on that day, out of the spoil they had brought in, —oxen, seven hundred, and sheep, seven thousand.

12 Then they made an agreement to conscientiously and completely follow the Lord, the God of their forefathers.

And they entered into a covenant, to seek Yahweh, God of their fathers, —with all their heart, and with all their soul;

13 They also agreed that anyone who refused to follow the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

and, whosoever would not seek unto Yahweh God of Israel, should be put to death, —whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14 They declared their oath with a loud shout, accompanied by trumpets and blasts from rams' horns.

So they bound themselves by oath unto Yahweh, with a loud voice, and with shouting, —and with trumpets and with horns.

15 The whole of Judah was happy at the oath they had conscientiously sworn. They looked for him sincerely, and they found him. The Lord gave them peace from all their enemies.

And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for, with all their heart, had they sworn, and, with all their good will, had they sought him, and he was found of them, —and Yahweh gave them rest round about.

16 King Asa also removed Maacah from her position as queen mother for making an offensive Asherah pole. Asa cut down her vile idol, crushed it up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

Moreover also, as touching Maacah mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made, unto the Sacred Stem, a monstrous thing, —so Asa cut down her monstrous thing, and reduced it to dust, and burnt it up, in the Kidron ravine.

17 While the high places were not removed from Israel, Asa was completely devoted to the Lord all his life.

But, the high places, were not taken away out of Israel, —only, the heart of Asa, was perfect, all his days.

18 He brought into God's Temple the silver and gold articles he and his father had dedicated.

And he brought the hallowed things of his father and his own hallowed things, into the house of God, —silver and gold, and utensils.

19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

And, war, was there none, —until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.