Chronicles II 15

1 And Azarias the son of Oded—upon him came the Spirit of the Lord,

Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.

2 and he went out to meet Asa, and all Juda and Benjamin, and said, Hear me, Asa, and all Juda and Benjamin. The Lord [is] with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him out, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

3 And Israel [has been] a long time without the true God, and without a priest to expound [the truth], and without the law.

For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law.

4 But he shall turn them to the Lord God of Israel, and he will be found of them.

But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them.

5 And in that time there is no peace to one going out, or to one coming in, for the terror of the Lord is upon all that inhabit the lands.

In those days there was no safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many conflicts.

6 And nation shall fight against nation, and city against city; for God has confounded them with every [kind of] affliction.

Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of adversity.

7 But be you strong, and let not your hands be weakened: for there is a reward for your work.

But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.”

8 And when [Asa] heard these words, and the prophesy of Adad the prophet, then he strengthened himself, and cast out the abominations from all the land of Juda and Benjamin, and from the cities which Jeroboam possessed, in mount Ephraim, and he renewed the altar of the Lord, which was before the temple of the Lord.

When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple.

9 And he assembled Juda and Benjamin, and the strangers that lived with him, of Ephraim, and of Manasse, and of Symeon: for many of Israel were joined to him, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

And he assembled all Judah and Benjamin, along with those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for great numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10 And they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

So they gathered together in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

11 And he sacrificed to the Lord in that day of the spoils which they brought, seven hundred calves and seven thousand sheep.

At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from all the plunder they had brought back.

12 And he entered into a covenant that they should seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.

Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.

13 And that whoever should not seek the Lord God of Israel, should die, whether young or old, whether man or woman.

And whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

14 And they swore to the Lord with a loud voice, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

They took an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns.

15 And all Juda rejoiced concerning the oath: for they swore with all their heart, and they sought him with all their desires; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.

And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart. They had sought Him earnestly, and He was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.

16 And he removed Maacha his mother from being priestess to Astarte; and he cut down the idol, and burnt it in the brook of Kedron.

King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

17 Nevertheless they removed not the high places: they still existed in Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days.

18 And he brought in the holy things of David his father, and the holy things of the house of God, silver, and gold, and vessels.

And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold articles that he and his father had dedicated.

19 And there was no war [waged] with him until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.