2 Chronicles 15

1 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Obed.

Then the Spirite of God came vpon Azariah the sonne of Obed.

2 Azariah went to talk with Asa, and said to him, “Asa and all [you men of the tribes of] Judah and Benjamin, listen to me. Yahweh is with you whenever you are trusting in him. If you request him [to help you], he will help you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.

And he went out to meete Asa, and said vnto him, O Asa, and all Iudah, and Beniamin, heare ye me. The Lord is with you, while ye be with him: and if ye seeke him, he wil be founde of you, but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

3 For many years the Israeli people did not know the true God, and they did not have priests or God’s laws.

Nowe for a long season Israel hath bene without the true God, and without Priest to teach and without Lawe.

4 But when they experienced trouble, they turned to Yahweh our God, and requested him to help them. And he helped them.

But whosoeuer returned in his affliction to the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was founde of them.

5 At that time, people were not safe when they traveled, because all the people who lived in the nearby countries were experiencing many difficulties.

And in that time there was no peace to him, that did goe out and goe in: but great troubles were to all the inhabitants of the earth.

6 The people of various nations were thoroughly defeated by [armies of] other nations, and people in some cities were crushed by [armies from] other cities, because God was allowing them to experience many difficulties.

For nation was destroyed of nation, and citie of citie: for God troubled them with all aduersitie.

7 But you people, you must be strong and do not become discouraged, because [God] will reward you for what you do [to please him.”]

Be ye strong therefore, and let not your handes be weake: for your worke shall haue a rewarde.

8 When Asa heard what the prophet Azariah said, he was encouraged. He [commanded his workers to] remove all the detestable idols from everywhere in the land of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and from the towns that [his soldiers] had captured in the hills of the tribe of Ephraim. Asa’s workers repaired the altar [where people offered sacrifices] to Yahweh that was in front of the entrance to the temple [in Jerusalem].

And when Asa heard these wordes, and the prophesie of Obed the Prophet, he was encouraged, and tooke away the abominations out of all the lande of Iudah, and Beniamin, and out of the cities which he had taken of mount Ephraim, and he renued the altar of the Lord, that was before the porche of the Lord.

9 Then he gathered all [the people of the tribes of] Judah and Benjamin and many people from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were living among them. [He was able to do that] because many people from [those tribes in] Israel had come to me to Judah when they realized that Yahweh, the God that Asa [worshiped], was helping him.

And he gathered all Iudah and Beniamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for there fell many to him out of Israel, when they sawe that the Lord his God was with him.

10 After Asa had been ruling for almost 15 years, in May of that year, those people gathered in Jerusalem.

So they assembled to Ierusalem in the third moneth, in the fifteenth yere of the reigne of Asa.

11 At that time they sacrificed to Yahweh 700 bulls and 7,000 sheep and goats, from the animals that they had captured [when they defeated the army of Ethiopia/Sudan].

And they offred vnto the Lord the same time of the spoyle, which they had brought, euen seuen hundreth bullockes, and seuen thousande sheepe.

12 They solemnly made an agreement to very sincerely worship Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped].

And they made a couenant to seeke the Lord God of their fathers, with all their heart, and with all their soule.

13 They promised to execute all those who would not worship Yahweh, including those who were important and those who were not important, both men and women.

And whosoeuer will not seeke the Lord God of Israel, shalbe slaine, whether he were small or great, man or woman.

14 They shouted and blew trumpets and other horns while they solemnly promised to do that.

And they sware vnto the Lord with a loude voyce, and with shouting and with trumpets, and with cornets.

15 All the people who were living in Judah were happy with the agreement because they had solemnly and very sincerely promised to keep it. They eagerly requested help from Yahweh, and he helped them. So he enabled them to have peace throughout their country.

And all Iudah reioyced at the othe: for they had sworne vnto the Lord with all their heart, and sought him with a whole desire, and he was founde of them. And the Lord gaue them rest rounde about.

16 King Asa’s grandmother Maacah had made a disgusting pole for [worshiping the goddess] Asherah. So Asa [commanded his workers to] cut down that pole and chop it into pieces and burn it in the Kidron Valley. He then did not allow Maacah to continue [to influence the people because of her] being the mother of the previous king.

And King Asa deposed Maachah his mother from her regencie, because she had made an idole in a groue: and Asa brake downe her idole, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brooke Kidron.

17 Although Asa’s [workers] did not get rid of the shrines on the hilltops in Israel, he was very determined to [do what] pleased Yahweh all his life.

But the hie places were not taken away out of Israel: yet the heart of Asa was perfit all his dayes.

18 He [ordered his workers to] bring into God’s temple all the silver and gold and other valuable items that he and his father had dedicated [to God].

Also he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicate, and that he had dedicate, siluer, and golde, and vessels.

19 There were no more wars [in Judah] until Asa had been ruling Judah almost 35 years.

And there was no warre vnto the fiue and thirtieth yeere of the reigne of Asa.