2 Chronicles 15

1 Now, as for Azariah son of Oded, there came upon him, the spirit of God.

The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded.

2 So he went forth to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear me, O Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin, —Yahweh, is with you, so long as ye are with him, and, if ye seek him, he will be found of you, but, if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

3 Now, many days, had Israel been, —without the faithful God, and without a teaching priest, and without the law;

Now for a long period, Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without the law.

4 But they turned, in their distress, unto Yahweh God of Israel, —and sought him, and he was found of them.

But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.

5 And, in those times, there had been no prosperity, to him that went out nor to him that came in, —for, great consternations, were upon all the inhabitants of the lands;

In those times there was no peace for him who traveled away, nor for him who traveled to here; instead, great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 and they were beaten in pieces-nation against nation, and city against city, —for, God, discomfited them with all manner of distress.

They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city, for God troubled them with all kinds of suffering.

7 Ye, therefore, be strong, and let not your hands be slack, —for there is a reward for your work!

But be strong, and do not let your hands be weak, for your work will be rewarded.”

8 And, when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he strengthened himself, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had captured out of the hill country of Ephraim, —and renewed the altar of Yahweh, that was before the porch of Yahweh.

When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and drove away the disgusting things from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had captured from the hill country of Ephraim, and he rebuilt Yahweh's altar, which was in front of the portico of Yahweh's house.

9 And he gathered together all Judah and Benjamin, and the sojourners with them, out of Ephraim and out of Manasseh, and out of Simeon, —for they fell unto him out of Israel, in great numbers, because they saw that, Yahweh his God, was with him.

He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who stayed with them—people from of Ephraim and Manasseh, and from Simeon. For they came from Israel to him in great numbers, when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him.

10 So they gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem, in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

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

11 And they sacrificed unto Yahweh, on that day, out of the spoil they had brought in, —oxen, seven hundred, and sheep, seven thousand.

They sacrificed to Yahweh in that day some of the plunder that they had brought: seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep and goats.

12 And they entered into a covenant, to seek Yahweh, God of their fathers, —with all their heart, and with all their soul;

They entered into a covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and with all their soul.

13 and, whosoever would not seek unto Yahweh God of Israel, should be put to death, —whether small or great, whether man or woman.

They agreed that whoever refused to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether the person was small or great, whether man or woman.

14 So they bound themselves by oath unto Yahweh, with a loud voice, and with shouting, —and with trumpets and with horns.

They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, with shouting, and with trumpets and horns.

15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for, with all their heart, had they sworn, and, with all their good will, had they sought him, and he was found of them, —and Yahweh gave them rest round about.

All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and they sought God with their whole desire, and he was found by them. Yahweh gave them peace all around them.

16 Moreover also, as touching Maacah mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made, unto the Sacred Stem, a monstrous thing, —so Asa cut down her monstrous thing, and reduced it to dust, and burnt it up, in the Kidron ravine.

He also removed Maacah, his grandmother, from being queen, because she had made a disgusting figure out of an Asherah pole. Asa cut down the disgusting figure, ground it to dust and burned it at the brook Kidron.

17 But, the high places, were not taken away out of Israel, —only, the heart of Asa, was perfect, all his days.

But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, Asa's heart was completely devoted all his days.

18 And he brought the hallowed things of his father and his own hallowed things, into the house of God, —silver and gold, and utensils.

He brought into the house of God the silver and gold and the utensils that he and his father had dedicated for that purpose.

19 And, war, was there none, —until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

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