2 Chronicles 15

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

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

2 He went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh 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.

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.

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

Now, many days, had Israel been, —without the faithful God, and without a teaching priest, 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 they turned, in their distress, unto Yahweh God of Israel, —and sought him, and he was found of them.

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.

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;

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

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

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

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

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 Yahweh’s altar that was before Yahweh’s porch.

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.

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 Yahweh his God was with him.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So they bound themselves by oath unto Yahweh, with a loud voice, and with shouting, —and with trumpets and with 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 Yahweh gave them rest all around.

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.

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 burned it at the brook Kidron.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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