1 T he Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded:

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

2 a nd 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.

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

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

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

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

5 I n 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.

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

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

7 B ut you be strong, and don’t let your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded.”

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

8 W hen 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 altar of Yahweh, that was before the porch of Yahweh.

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 H e gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who lived with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him.

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 S o they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

15 A ll Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and Yahweh gave them rest all around.

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

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 B ut 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 removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa’s heart was blameless all his days.

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

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

19 T here was no more war to the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

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