2 Chronicles 15

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

And the spirit of God came upon Azarias the son of Oded,

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.

And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: Hear ye me, Asa, and all Juda and Benjamin: The Lord is with you, because you have been with him. If you seek him, you shall find: but if you 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.

And many days shall pass in Israel without the true God, and without a priest a teacher, 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.

And when in their distress they shall return to the Lord the God of Israel, and shall seek him, they shall find him.

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

At that time there shall be no peace to him that goeth out and cometh in, but terrors on every side among all the inhabitants of the earth.

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

For nation shall fight against nation, and city against city, for the Lord will trouble them with all distress.

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

Do you therefore take courage, and let not your hands he weakened: for there shall be 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 had heard the words, and the prophecy of Azarias the son of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and took away the idols out of all the land of Juda, and out of Benjamin, and out of the cities of mount Ephraim, which he had taken, and he dedicated the altar of the Lord, which was before the porch of the Lord.

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 Juda and Benjamin, and the strangers with them of Ephraim, and Manasses, and Simeon: for many were come over to him out of Israel, seeing that the Lord his God was with him.

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

And when they were come to Jerusalem in the third month, in 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.

They sacrificed to the Lord in that day of the spoils, and of the prey, that they had brought, seven hundred oxen, and seven thousand rams.

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

And he went in to confirm as usual the covenant, that they should seek the Lord the 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 if any one, said he, seek not the Lord the God of Israel, let him die, whether little or great, man or woman.

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

And they swore to the Lord with a loud voice with joyful shouting, and with sound of trumpet, and sound of comets,

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.

All that mere in Juda with a curse: for with all their heart they swore, and with all their will they sought him, and they found him, and the Lord 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 Maacha the mother of king Asa he deposed from the royal authority, because she had made in a grove an idol of Priapus: and he entirely destroyed it, and breaking it into pieces, burnt it at the torrent Cedron.

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

But high places were left in Israel: nevertheless 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 the things which his father had vowed, and he himself had vowed, he brought into the house of the Lord, gold and silver, and vessels of divers uses.

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

And there was no war unto the five and thirtieth year of the kingdom of Asa.