2 דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים 15

1 וַעֲזַרְיָ֙הוּ֙ בֶּן־עֹודֵ֔ד הָיְתָ֥ה עָלָ֖יו ר֥וּחַ אֱלֹהִֽים׃

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

2 וַיֵּצֵא֮ לִפְנֵ֣י אָסָא֒ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לֹ֔ו שְׁמָע֕וּנִי אָסָ֖א וְכָל־יְהוּדָ֣ה וּבִנְיָמִ֑ן יְהוָ֤ה עִמָּכֶם֙ בִּֽהְיֹֽותְכֶ֣ם עִמֹּ֔ו וְאִֽם־תִּדְרְשֻׁ֙הוּ֙ יִמָּצֵ֣א לָכֶ֔ם וְאִם־תַּעַזְבֻ֖הוּ יַעֲזֹ֥ב אֶתְכֶֽם׃ ס

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.

3 וְיָמִ֥ים רַבִּ֖ים לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לְלֹ֣א ׀ אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֱמֶ֗ת וּלְלֹ֛א כֹּהֵ֥ן מֹורֶ֖ה וּלְלֹ֥א תֹורָֽה׃

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

4 וַיָּ֙שָׁב֙ בַּצַּר־לֹ֔ו עַל־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיְבַקְשֻׁ֖הוּ וַיִּמָּצֵ֥א לָהֶֽם׃

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

5 וּבָעִתִּ֣ים הָהֵ֔ם אֵ֥ין שָׁלֹ֖ום לַיֹּוצֵ֣א וְלַבָּ֑א כִּ֚י מְהוּמֹ֣ת רַבֹּ֔ות עַ֥ל כָּל־יֹושְׁבֵ֖י הָאֲרָצֹֽות׃

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.

6 וְכֻתְּת֥וּ גֹוי־בְּגֹ֖וי וְעִ֣יר בְּעִ֑יר כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֥ים הֲמָמָ֖ם בְּכָל־צָרָֽה׃

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

7 וְאַתֶּ֣ם חִזְק֔וּ וְאַל־יִרְפּ֖וּ יְדֵיכֶ֑ם כִּ֛י יֵ֥שׁ שָׂכָ֖ר לִפְעֻלַּתְכֶֽם׃ ס

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

8 וְכִשְׁמֹ֨עַ אָסָ֜א הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה וְהַנְּבוּאָה֮ עֹדֵ֣ד הַנָּבִיא֒ הִתְחַזַּ֗ק וַיַּעֲבֵ֤ר הַשִּׁקּוּצִים֙ מִכָּל־אֶ֤רֶץ יְהוּדָה֙ וּבִנְיָמִ֔ן וּמִן־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לָכַ֖ד מֵהַ֣ר אֶפְרָ֑יִם וַיְחַדֵּשׁ֙ אֶת־מִזְבַּ֣ח יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֕ר לִפְנֵ֖י אוּלָ֥ם יְהוָֽה׃

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.

9 וַיִּקְבֹּ֗ץ אֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָה֙ וּבִנְיָמִ֔ן וְהַגָּרִים֙ עִמָּהֶ֔ם מֵאֶפְרַ֥יִם וּמְנַשֶּׁ֖ה וּמִשִּׁמְעֹ֑ון כִּֽי־נָפְל֨וּ עָלָ֤יו מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל֙ לָרֹ֔ב בִּרְאֹתָ֕ם כִּֽי־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָ֖יו עִמֹּֽו׃ פ

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.

10 וַיִּקָּבְצ֥וּ יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֑י לִשְׁנַ֥ת חֲמֵשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה לְמַלְכ֥וּת אָסָֽא׃

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

11 וַיִּזְבְּח֤וּ לַיהוָה֙ בַּיֹּ֣ום הַה֔וּא מִן־הַשָּׁלָ֖ל הֵבִ֑יאוּ בָּקָר֙ שְׁבַ֣ע מֵאֹ֔ות וְצֹ֖אן שִׁבְעַ֥ת אֲלָפִֽים׃

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

12 וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ בַבְּרִ֔ית לִדְרֹ֕ושׁ אֶת־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבֹותֵיהֶ֑ם בְּכָל־לְבָבָ֖ם וּבְכָל־נַפְשָֽׁם׃

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

13 וְכֹ֨ל אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹֽא־יִדְרֹ֛שׁ לַיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יוּמָ֑ת לְמִן־קָטֹן֙ וְעַד־גָּדֹ֔ול לְמֵאִ֖ישׁ וְעַד־אִשָּֽׁה׃

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.

14 וַיִּשָּֽׁבְעוּ֙ לַיהוָ֔ה בְּקֹ֥ול גָּדֹ֖ול וּבִתְרוּעָ֑ה וּבַחֲצֹצְרֹ֖ות וּבְשֹׁופָרֹֽות׃

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

15 וַיִּשְׂמְח֨וּ כָל־יְהוּדָ֜ה עַל־הַשְּׁבוּעָ֗ה כִּ֤י בְכָל־לְבָבָם֙ נִשְׁבָּ֔עוּ וּבְכָל־רְצֹונָ֣ם בִּקְשֻׁ֔הוּ וַיִּמָּצֵ֖א לָהֶ֑ם וַיָּ֧נַח יְהוָ֛ה לָהֶ֖ם מִסָּבִֽיב׃

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.

16 וְגַֽם־מַעֲכָ֞ה אֵ֣ם ׀ אָסָ֣א הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ הֱסִירָהּ֙ מִגְּבִירָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשְׂתָ֥ה לַאֲשֵׁרָ֖ה מִפְלָ֑צֶת וַיִּכְרֹ֤ת אָסָא֙ אֶת־מִפְלַצְתָּ֔הּ וַיָּ֕דֶק וַיִּשְׂרֹ֖ף בְּנַ֥חַל קִדְרֹֽון׃

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.

17 וְהַ֨בָּמֹ֔ות לֹא־סָ֖רוּ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל רַ֧ק לְבַב־אָסָ֛א הָיָ֥ה שָׁלֵ֖ם כָּל־יָמָֽיו׃

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

18 וַיָּבֵ֞א אֶת־קָדְשֵׁ֥י אָבִ֛יו וְקָֽדָשָׁ֖יו בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים כֶּ֥סֶף וְזָהָ֖ב וְכֵלִֽים׃

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

19 וּמִלְחָמָ֖ה לֹ֣א הָיָ֑תָה עַ֛ד שְׁנַת־שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וְחָמֵ֖שׁ לְמַלְכ֥וּת אָסָֽא׃ ס

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