2 Chronicles 15

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

Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.

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.

So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you 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.

For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law.

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

But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by 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.

In those days there was no safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many conflicts.

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.

Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of adversity.

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.”]

But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.”

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].

When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple.

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 assembled all Judah and Benjamin, along with those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for great numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw 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 gathered together in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

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].

At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from all the plunder they had brought back.

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

Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.

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 whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

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

They took an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns.

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 Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart. They had sought Him earnestly, and He was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.

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.

King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

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.

The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days.

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].

And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold articles that he and his father had dedicated.

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

And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.