2 Chronicles 15

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

And the Spirit of God has been on Azariah 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.

and he goes out before Asa and says to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; YHWH [is] with you—in your being with Him, and if you seek Him, He is found by you, and if you forsake Him, He forsakes you;

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

and many days [are] to Israel without [the] true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law,

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

and it turns back in its distress to YHWH, God of Israel, and they seek Him, and He is found by 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 is no peace for him who is going out, and for him who is coming in, for many troubles [are] on 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 have been beaten down, nation by nation, and city by city, for God has troubled them with every adversity;

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

and you, be strong, and do not let your hands be feeble, 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 the LORD’s altar that was before the LORD’s porch.

And at Asa’s hearing these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he has strengthened himself, and causes the abominations to pass away out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities that he has captured from the hill-country of Ephraim, and renews the altar of YHWH that [is] before the porch of YHWH,

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.

and gathers all Judah and Benjamin, and the sojourners with them out of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and out of Simeon—for they have defected to him from Israel in abundance, in their seeing that his God YHWH [is] with him.

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

And they are gathered to Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa,

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.

and sacrifice to YHWH on that day from the spoil they have brought in—seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep,

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

and they enter into a covenant to seek YHWH, God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul,

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.

and everyone who does not seek for YHWH, God of Israel, is put to death, from small to great, from man to woman.

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

And they swear to YHWH 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 the LORD gave them rest all around.

and all Judah rejoices concerning the oath, for they have sworn with all their heart, and they have sought Him with all their goodwill, and He is found by them, and YHWH gives rest to them all around.

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.

And also Maachah, mother of Asa the king—he has removed her from [being] mistress, in that she has made for an Asherah a horrible thing, and Asa cuts down her horrible thing, and beats [it] small, and burns [it] by the Brook of Kidron:

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

yet the high places have not been removed from Israel; only, the heart of Asa has been 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 brings in the sanctified things of his father, and his own sanctified things, to the house of God: silver, and gold, and vessels.

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

And war has not been until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.