2 Chronicles 15

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

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

2 He went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! The LORD is with you while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all of Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you look for him, you will find him; but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.

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

For many years Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the law.

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

But when they were in trouble they returned to the Lord, the God of Israel—they looked for him, and they found him.

5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands.

During those times travel was dangerous, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. People everywhere had terrible problems.

6 They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity.

Nation fought nation, and town fought town, for God threw them into a panic with all kinds of trouble.

7 But you be strong! Don’t let your hands be slack, for your work will be rewarded.”

But you need to be strong, not weak, for you will be rewarded for the work you do.”

8 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 LORD’s altar that was before the LORD’s porch.

When Asa heard these words of prophecy from Azariah the prophet, son of Oded, he was encouraged. He removed the vile idols from the whole territory of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. Then he repaired the altar of the Lord that stood in front of the porch of the Lord's Temple.

9 He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who lived with them out of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon; for they came to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

Then Asa summoned all of Judah and Benjamin, along with those Israelites from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were living among them, for many people had deserted Israel and come over to Asa when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

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

They gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign.

11 They sacrificed to the LORD in that day, of the plunder which they had brought, seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep.

That day they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the plunder they had brought back.

12 They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;

Then they made an agreement to conscientiously and completely follow the Lord, the God of their forefathers.

13 and that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

They also agreed that anyone who refused to follow the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

14 They swore to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with cornets.

They declared their oath with a loud shout, accompanied by trumpets and blasts from rams' horns.

15 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 by them. Then the LORD gave them rest all around.

The whole of Judah was happy at the oath they had conscientiously sworn. They looked for him sincerely, and they found him. The Lord gave them peace from all their enemies.

16 Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; so Asa cut down her image, ground it into dust, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

King Asa also removed Maacah from her position as queen mother for making an offensive Asherah pole. Asa cut down her vile idol, crushed it up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

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

While the high places were not removed from Israel, Asa was completely devoted to the Lord all his life.

18 He brought the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated, silver, gold, and vessels into God’s house.

He brought into God's Temple the silver and gold articles he and his father had dedicated.

19 There was no more war to the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

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