1 و َحَلَّ رُوحُ اللهِ عَلَى عَزَرْيا بْنِ عُودِيدَ.

Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded,

2 ف َذَهَبَ عَزَرْيا لِلقاءِ آسا وَقالَ لَهُ: «اسمَعُوني يا آسا، وَيا كُلَّ شَعبِ يَهُوذا وَبَنْيامِيْنَ! اللهُ مَعَكُمْ ما دُمتُمْ مَعَهُ. وَإذا طَلَبْتُمْ اللهَ ، فَسَتَجِدُونَهُ. لَكِنْ إنْ تَرَكْتُمُوهُ، فَسَيَترُكُكُمْ.

and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

3 ظ َلَّتْ إسْرائِيلُ زَمَناً طَويلاً مِنْ غَيْرِ اللهِ الحَقيقِيِّ. وَظَلَّ بَنُو إسْرائِيلَ مِنْ غَيرِ كاهِنٍ يُعَلّمُهُمْ، وَمِنْ غَيرِ شَريعَةٍ.

For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law.

4 ل َكِنْ عِندَما كانَ بَنُو إسْرائِيلَ يُواجهُونَ ضِيقاً، كانُوا يَلجَأُونَ إلَى اللهِ ، إلَهِ إسْرائِيلَ، مِنْ جَدِيْدٍ. كانُوا يَطلُبُونَهُ فَيَجِدُونَهُ.

But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.

5 « وَفِي أيّامِ الضِّيقِ تِلكَ، لَمْ يَكُنْ أحَدٌ يَستَطِيعُ أنْ يَتَنَّقَلَ بِأمانٍ. فَقَدْ سادَتِ الاضْطِراباتُ بَينَ الشُّعُوبِ.

In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 ف َكانَتْ أُمَّةٌ تَقُومُ عَلَى أُمَّةٍ، وَمَدينَةٌ عَلَى مَدِينَةٍ، لأنَّ اللهَ ابتَلاهُمْ بكُلِّ أنواعِ الضِّيقِ.

Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.

7 أ مَّأ أنتَ وَشَعبُكَ يا آسا، فَتَشَجَّعُوا، وَلا تَضْعُفُوا، لِأنَّكُمْ سَتُكافَأُونَ عَلَى عَمَلِكُمُ الحَسَنِ!»

But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.” Asa’s Reforms

8 و َتَشَجَّعَ آسا حِينَ سَمِعَ كَلامَ النَّبِيِّ عُودِيدَ وَالرِّسالَةَ الَّتِي أعلَنَها. فَأزالَ الأوثانَ البَغِيضَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ مِنطَقَةِ يَهُوذا وَبَنْيامِيْنَ، وَمِنَ المُدُنِ الَّتِي استَولَى عَلَيها فِي مِنطَقَةِ أفْرايِمَ الجَبَليَّةِ. وَرَمَّمَ مَذبَحَ اللهِ الَّذِيِ أمامَ دِهلِيزِ بَيتِ اللهِ.

Now when Asa heard these words and the prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the Lord which was in front of the porch of the Lord.

9 ث ُمَّ جَمَعَ آسا كُلَّ الشَّعبِ منْ يَهُوذا وَبَنْيامِيْنَ. وَجَمَعَ أيضاً مِنْ عَشائِر أفْرايِمَ وَمَنَسَّى وَشَمْعُونَ الجَماعاتِ الَّتِي انتَقَلَتْ مِنْ أرْضِ إسْرائِيلَ إلَى أرْضِ يَهُوذا. وَقَدْ جاءَ هَؤُلاءِ النّاسُ بِأعْدادٍ كَبِيرَةٍ إلَى يَهُوذا لِأنَّهُمْ رَأَوْا أنَّ إلَهَهُ مَعَهُ.

He gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who resided with them, for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10 ا جتَمَعَ آسا وَكُلُّ هَؤُلاءِ النّاسِ مَعاً فِي القُدسِ فِي الشَّهرِ الثّالِثِ مِنَ السَّنَةِ الخامِسَةَ عَشْرَةَ لِحُكْمِ آسا.

So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

11 و َذَبَحُوا للهِ سَبْعَ مِئَةِ ثَورٍ وَسَبعَ مِئَةِ خَرُوفٍ وَماعِزٍ. وَكانَ جَيشُ آسا قَدِ استَولَى عَلَى هَذه المَواشِي وَأشياءَ ثَمِينَةٍ أُخْرَى منْ أعدائِهمْ.

They sacrificed to the Lord that day 700 oxen and 7, 000 sheep from the spoil they had brought.

12 ث ُمَّ تَعاهَدُوا عَلَى أنْ يَتْبَعُوا اللهَ ، إلَهَ آبائِهُمْ، بِكُلِّ قَلُوبِهِمْ وَبِكُلِّ نَفُوسِهِمْ.

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

13 و َكانَ كُلُّ مَنْ لا يَطلُبُ اللهَ إلَهَ إسْرائِيلَ يُقتَلُ، مَهما عَلا شَأنُهُ أوْ صَغُرَ، رَجُلاً كانَ أمِ امْرأةً.

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

14 و َتَعَهَّدَ آسا وَالشَّعْبُ بِصَوتٍ مُرتَفِعٍ أنْ يَظَلُّوا أوفِياءَ للهِ. وَنَفَخُوا فِي الأبْواقِ الَّتِي مِنْ قُرُونِ الكِباشِ.

Moreover, they made an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with horns.

15 و َفَرِحَ كُلُّ شَعبِ يَهُوذا بِهَذا العَهدِ لِأنَّهُمْ نَذَرُوا للهِ بِكُلِّ قُلُوبِهِمْ، وَطَلَبُوهُ طَوعاً. طَلَبُوهُ بكُلِّ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَوَجَدُوهُ، فَأعطاهُمْ اللهُ سَلاماً وَراحَةً عَلَى كُلِّ حُدُودِهِمْ.

All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

16 و َخَلَعَ آسا أُمَّهُ مَعْكَةَ كَمَلِكَةٍ أُمٍّ، لِأنَّها نَصَبَتْ عَمُوداً بَغِيضاً إكراماً للإلَهَةِ عَشْتَرُوتَ. وَهَدَمَ آسا عَمُودَ عَشْتَرُوتَ وَكَسَّرَهُ تَكسِيراً، ثُمَّ أحرَقَ أجزاءَهُ فِي وادِي قَدْرُونَ.

He also removed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from the position of queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah, and Asa cut down her horrid image, crushed it and burned it at the brook Kidron.

17 ل َمْ تُنزَعِ المُرتَفَعاتُ مِنْ يَهُوذا، غَيرَ أنْ قَلْبَ آسا كانَ وَفِيّاً لِلرَّبِّ طَوالَ حَياتِهِ.

But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa’s heart was blameless all his days.

18 و َوَضَعَ آسا كُلَّ ما خَصَّصَهُ هُوَ وَأبُوهُ مِنْ أشْياءَ مَصْنُوعَةٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ وَفِضَّةٍ للهِ في بَيتِ اللهِ.

He brought into the house of God the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils.

19 و َلَمْ تَنشُبْ حَربٌ حَتَّى السَّنَةِ الخامسَةِ وَالثَّلاثِينَ منْ حُكمِ آسا.

And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.