2 Chronicles 15
New American Standard Bible
Azariah the Prophet Warns Asa
15 Now (A)the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out [a]to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: (B)the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And (C)if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you. 3 (D)For many days Israel was without the true God and without (E)a teaching priest and without the Law. 4 But (F)in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. 5 (G)In those times there was no peace for him who went out or him who came in, because many disturbances [b]afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 (H)Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. 7 But you, (I)be strong and do not [c]lose courage, for there is a (J)reward for your work.”
Asa’s Reforms
8 Now when Asa heard these words and the [d]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 (K)the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. (L)He then restored the altar of the Lord which was in front of the porch of the Lord. 9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon (M)who resided with them, for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 (N)They sacrificed to the Lord on that day seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the spoils they had brought. 12 (O)They entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul; 13 and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel (P)was to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. 14 Moreover, they made an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and with horns. 15 All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought Him [e]earnestly, and He let them find Him. So (Q)the Lord gave them rest on every side.
16 (R)He also removed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from the position of queen mother, because she had made an abominable image [f]as (S)an Asherah, and (T)Asa cut down her abominable image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. 17 But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa’s heart was blameless all his days. 18 He brought into the house of God the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver, gold, and utensils. 19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 15:2 Lit before Asa
- 2 Chronicles 15:5 Lit were on
- 2 Chronicles 15:7 Lit let your hands drop
- 2 Chronicles 15:8 With several ancient versions; MT the prophecy, Oded the prophet
- 2 Chronicles 15:15 Lit with all their whole desire
- 2 Chronicles 15:16 Or for Asherah; i.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity
2 Chronicles 15
Common English Bible
15 When God’s spirit came upon Azariah, Oded’s son, 2 he confronted Asa: “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin,” he said. “The Lord is with you as long as you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you abandon him, he will abandon you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Instruction. 4 But in their time of trouble they turned to the Lord, Israel’s God. They sought him and found him! 5 At that time, it wasn’t safe to travel because great turmoil affected all the inhabitants of the area. 6 Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, as God troubled them with every kind of problem. 7 But as for you, be brave and don’t lose heart, because your work will be rewarded!”
Asa’s reforms
8 As soon as Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah, Oded’s son,[a] he felt brave and removed the detestable idols from all of Judah and Benjamin, as well as from the cities he had captured in Ephraim’s highlands, and he repaired the Lord’s altar that stood before the Lord’s entrance hall. 9 Then Asa gathered all Judah and Benjamin, along with those who were living among them as immigrants from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, because many people from Israel had joined up with him when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 They gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s rule. 11 On that day they sacrificed to the Lord part of the loot they had taken: seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. 12 They made a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and all their being. 13 They agreed that anyone who refused to seek the Lord, Israel’s God, would be put to death, whether young or old, male or female. 14 They swore this to the Lord with a loud voice, shouts of joy, and blasts from trumpets and horns. 15 All Judah was delighted with the solemn pledge because they had sworn it with all their hearts. When they enthusiastically sought God, he was found by them, and the Lord gave them peace on every side. 16 Asa the king even removed his grandmother Maacah from the position of queen mother because she had made an image of Asherah. Asa cut down her image, pulverized it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 Although the shrines weren’t removed from Israel, Asa nevertheless remained committed with all his heart throughout his life. 18 He brought into God’s temple the various silver and gold objects that he and his father had dedicated. 19 There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s rule.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 15:8 Cf Syr, Vulg; MT and the prophecy of the prophet Oded
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