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.

2 Chronicles 15

1 God’s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded.2 He mett Asa and told him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you when you are loyal to him.t If you seek him, he will respond to you,t but if you reject him, he will reject you.3 For a long timet Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law.4 Because of their distress, they turned back to the Lord God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them.t5 In those dayst no one could travel safely,t for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands.t6 One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil.t

7 But as for you, be strong and don’t get discouraged,t for your work will be rewarded.”t

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was encouraged.t He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He repaired the altar of the Lord in front of the porch of the Lord’s temple.t
9 He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlerst from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to livet when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.10 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.11 At that timet they sacrificed to the Lord some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep.t12 They solemnly agreedt to seek the Lord God of their ancestorst with their whole heart and being.13 Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old,t male or female.14 They swore their allegiance to the Lord, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns.t

15 All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the Lord and he responded to them.t He made them secure on every side.t
16 King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmothert from her position as queen mothert because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley.17 The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime.t

18 He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles.t
19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.