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2 Chronicles 15
New English Translation

15 God’s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded. 2 He met[a] Asa and told him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you when you are loyal to him.[b] If you seek him, he will respond to you,[c] but if you reject him, he will reject you. 3 For a long time[d] Israel had not sought the one true God, or a priest to instruct them, or the law. 4 Because of their distress, they turned back to the Lord God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them.[e] 5 In those days[f] no one could travel safely,[g] for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands.[h] 6 One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil.[i] 7 But as for you, be strong and don’t get discouraged,[j] for your work will be rewarded.”[k]

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was encouraged.[l] He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He repaired the altar of the Lord in front of the porch of the Lord’s temple.[m]

9 He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers[n] from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live[o] when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 At that time[p] they sacrificed to the Lord some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep.[q] 12 They solemnly agreed[r] to seek the Lord God of their ancestors[s] with their whole heart and being. 13 Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old,[t] male or female. 14 They swore their allegiance to the Lord, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns.[u] 15 All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the Lord and he responded to them.[v] He made them secure on every side.[w]

16 King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother[x] from her position as queen mother[y] because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her loathsome pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime.[z] 18 He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles.[aa]

Asa’s Failures

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

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 15:2 tn Heb “went out before.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 15:2 tn Heb “when you are with him.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 15:2 tn Heb “he will allow himself to be found by you.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 15:3 tn Heb “Many days.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 15:4 tn Heb “and he allowed himself to be found by them.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 15:5 tn Heb “times.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 15:5 tn Heb “there was no peace for the one going out or the one coming in.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 15:5 tn Heb “for great confusion was upon all the inhabitants of the lands.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 15:6 tn Heb “threw them into confusion with all distress.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 15:7 tn Heb “and let not your hands drop.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 15:7 tn Heb “for there is payment for your work.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 15:8 tn Heb “strengthened himself.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 15:8 tn Heb “the porch of the Lord.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 15:9 tn Or “foreign residents.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 15:9 tn Heb “had fallen upon him.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 15:11 tn Or “In that day.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 15:11 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (tsoʾn) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but their is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
  18. 2 Chronicles 15:12 tn Heb “entered into a covenant.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 15:12 tn Heb “fathers.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 15:13 tn Heb “whether small or great.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 15:14 tn Heb “with a loud voice and with a shout of joy and with trumpets and with horns.”
  22. 2 Chronicles 15:15 tn Heb “and with all their desire they sought him and he allowed himself to be found by them.”
  23. 2 Chronicles 15:15 tn Heb “and the Lord gave them rest all around.”
  24. 2 Chronicles 15:16 tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses “father” and “mother” for grandparents and even more remote ancestors.
  25. 2 Chronicles 15:16 tn The Hebrew term גְּבִירָה (gevirah) can denote “queen” or “queen mother” depending on the context. Here the latter is indicated, since Maacah was the wife of Rehoboam and mother of Abijah.
  26. 2 Chronicles 15:17 tn Heb “yet the heart of Asa was complete all his days.”
  27. 2 Chronicles 15:18 tn Heb “and he brought the holy things of his father and his holy things [into] the house of God, silver, gold, and items.”
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2 Chronicles 15
New International Reader's Version

Asa Makes Judah a Better Nation

15 The Spirit of God came on Azariah. He was the son of Oded. 2 Azariah went out to meet Asa. He said to him, “Asa and all you people of Judah and Benjamin, listen to me. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you really look for him, you will find him. But if you desert him, he will desert you. 3 For a long time Israel didn’t worship the true God. They didn’t have a priest who taught them. So they didn’t know God’s law. 4 But when they were in trouble, they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel. When they did, they found him. 5 In those days it wasn’t safe to travel around. The people who lived in all the areas of the land were having a lot of trouble. 6 One nation was crushing another. One city was crushing another. That’s because God was causing them to suffer terribly. 7 But be strong. Don’t give up. God will reward you for your work.”

8 Asa heard that prophecy. He paid attention to the words of Azariah the prophet, the son of Oded. So Asa became bolder than ever. He removed the statues of gods from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin. He also removed them from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He did it because the Lord hated those gods. Asa repaired the altar of the Lord. It was in front of the porch of the Lord’s temple.

9 Then Asa gathered together all the people of Judah and Benjamin. He also gathered together the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who were living among them. Large numbers of people had come over to him from Israel. They came because they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10 They gathered in Jerusalem. It was the third month of the 15th year of Asa’s rule. 11 At that time they sacrificed to the Lord 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep and goats. The animals were among the things they had taken after the battle. 12 They made a covenant to obey the Lord, the God of their people. They would obey him with all their heart and soul. 13 All those who wouldn’t obey the Lord, the God of Israel, would be killed. It wouldn’t matter how important they were. It wouldn’t matter whether they were men or women. 14 They made a promise to the Lord. They praised him out loud. They shouted. They blew trumpets and horns. 15 All the people of Judah were happy about the promise they had made. They turned to God with all their heart. When they did, they found him. So the Lord gave them peace and rest on every side.

16 King Asa also removed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother. That’s because she had made a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. The Lord hated it. So Asa cut it down. He broke it up. He burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 Asa didn’t remove the high places from Israel. But he committed his whole life completely to the Lord. 18 He and his father had set apart silver, gold and other things to the Lord. Asa brought them into God’s temple.

19 There weren’t any more wars until the 35th year of Asa’s rule.

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2 Chronicles 15
New International Version

Asa’s Reform(A)

15 The Spirit of God came on(B) Azariah son of Oded. 2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you(C) when you are with him.(D) If you seek(E) him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.(F) 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach(G) and without the law.(H) 4 But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him,(I) and he was found by them. 5 In those days it was not safe to travel about,(J) for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. 6 One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another,(K) because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. 7 But as for you, be strong(L) and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”(M)

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of[a] Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols(N) from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured(O) in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar(P) of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.

9 Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers(Q) had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10 They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month(R) of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder(S) they had brought back. 12 They entered into a covenant(T) to seek the Lord,(U) the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. 13 All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death,(V) whether small or great, man or woman. 14 They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. 15 All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God(W) eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest(X) on every side.

16 King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah(Y) from her position as queen mother,(Z) because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah.(AA) Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley.(AB) 17 Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. 18 He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.(AC)

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

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 15:8 Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 1); Hebrew does not have Azariah son of.
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2 Chronicles 15
New King James Version

The Reforms of Asa

15 Now (A)the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. 2 And he went out [a]to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. (B)The Lord is with you while you are with Him. (C)If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but (D)if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 3 (E)For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a (F)teaching priest, and without (G)law; 4 but (H)when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. 5 And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 (I)So nation was [b]destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. 7 But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”

8 And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of [c]Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities (J)which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the Lord that was before the vestibule of the Lord. 9 Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and (K)those who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10 So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11 (L)And they offered to the Lord [d]at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the [e]spoil they had brought. 12 Then they (M)entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; 13 (N)and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel (O)was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. 14 Then they took an oath before the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns. 15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and (P)sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them (Q)rest all around.

16 Also he removed (R)Maachah, the [f]mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of [g]Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron. 17 But (S)the [h]high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days.

18 He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils. 19 And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 15:2 Lit. before
  2. 2 Chronicles 15:6 Lit. beaten in pieces
  3. 2 Chronicles 15:8 So with MT, LXX; Syr., Vg. Azariah the son of Oded (cf. v. 1)
  4. 2 Chronicles 15:11 Lit. in that day
  5. 2 Chronicles 15:11 plunder
  6. 2 Chronicles 15:16 Or grandmother
  7. 2 Chronicles 15:16 A Canaanite deity
  8. 2 Chronicles 15:17 Places for pagan worship
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