2 Chronicles 15

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

And Azarias the son of Oded—upon him came the Spirit of the Lord,

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 meet Asa, and all Juda and Benjamin, and said, Hear me, Asa, and all Juda and Benjamin. The Lord [is] with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him out, he will be found 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.

And Israel [has been] a long time without the true God, and without a priest to expound [the truth], 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 he shall turn them to the Lord God of Israel, and he will be found 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 is no peace to one going out, or to one coming in, for the terror of the Lord is upon all that inhabit the lands.

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.

And nation shall fight against nation, and city against city; for God has confounded them with every [kind of] affliction.

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 be ye strong, and let not your hands be weakened: for there is a reward for your work.

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 words, and the prophesy of Adad the prophet, then he strengthened himself, and cast out the abominations from all the land of Juda and Benjamin, and from the cities which Jeroboam possessed, in mount Ephraim, and he renewed the altar of the Lord, which was before the temple 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 assembled Juda and Benjamin, and the strangers that dwelt with him, of Ephraim, and of Manasse, and of Symeon: for many of Israel were joined to him, 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.

And they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign 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 he sacrificed to the Lord in that day of the spoils which they brought, seven hundred calves and seven thousand sheep.

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

And he entered into a covenant that they should seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their 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 that whoever should not seek the Lord God of Israel, should die, whether young or old, whether man or woman.

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

And they swore to the Lord with a loud voice, 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 Juda rejoiced concerning the oath: for they swore with all their heart, and they sought him with all their desires; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round 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 he removed Maacha his mother from being priestess to Astarte; and he cut down the idol, and burnt it in the brook of Kedron.

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.

Nevertheless they removed not the high places: they still existed in Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect 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 in the holy things of David his father, and the holy things of the house of God, silver, and gold, and vessels.

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

And there was no war [waged] with him until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.