2 Chronicles 15

1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded.

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

2 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.

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

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

But he shall turn them to the Lord God of Israel, and he will be found of them.

5 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.

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

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

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

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

8 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.

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 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.

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

And they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

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

And he sacrificed to the Lord in that day of the spoils which they brought, seven hundred calves and seven thousand sheep.

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

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 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.

And that whoever should not seek the Lord God of Israel, should die, whether young or old, whether man or woman.

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

And they swore to the Lord with a loud voice, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

15 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.

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 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.

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

Nevertheless they removed not the high places: they still existed in Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

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

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

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