2 Chronicles 15

1 God’s Spirit came to Azariah, son of Oded.2 Azariah went to Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all you men from Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you will dedicate your lives to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest who taught correctly, and without Moses’ Teachings.4 But when they were in trouble, they turned to the Lord God of Israel. When they searched for him, he let them find him.5 At those times no one could come and go in peace, because everyone living in the land had a lot of turmoil.6 One nation crushed another nation; one city crushed another. God had tormented them with every kind of trouble.

7 But you must remain strong and not become discouraged. Your actions will be rewarded.”
8 When Asa heard the prophet Oded’s words of prophecy, he was encouraged and put away the detestable idols from all of Judah, Benjamin, and the cities he had captured in the mountains of Ephraim. He also repaired the Lord’s altar in front of the Lord’s entrance hall.9 Then Asa gathered all the people from Judah and Benjamin and the foreigners who had come from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon. (Many of them had come to him from Israel when they saw that Asa’s God, the Lord, was with him.)10 In the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign, they gathered in Jerusalem.11 On that day they sacrificed to the Lord a part of the loot they had brought with them: 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep.12 They made an agreement with one another to dedicate their lives to serving the Lord God of their ancestors with all their heart and soul.13 All people (young or old, male or female) who refused to dedicate their lives to the Lord God of Israel were to be killed.14 Asa and the people swore their oath to the Lord with shouts, singing, and the blowing of trumpets and rams’ horns.

15 All the people of Judah were overjoyed because of the oath, since they took the oath wholeheartedly. They took great pleasure in looking for the Lord, and he let them find him. So the Lord surrounded them with peace.
16 King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from the position of queen mother because she made a statue of the repulsive goddess Asherah. Asa cut the statue down, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.17 Although the illegal worship sites in Israel were not taken down, Asa remained committed to the Lord his entire life.

18 He brought into God’s temple the silver, the gold, and the utensils he and his father had set apart as holy.

King Asa’s War With King Baasha—1 Kings 15:16–24

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

2 Chronicles 15

1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:2 and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you, while 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 Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law:4 But when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in; but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.6 And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity.7 But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded.8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch of Jehovah.9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him.10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.11 And they sacrificed unto Jehovah in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.12 And they entered into the covenant to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;13 and that whosoever would not seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.14 And they sware unto Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and Jehovah gave them rest round about.16 And also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.