² and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: ^(A)The Lord is with you while you are with him. ^(B)If you seek him, he will be found by you, ^(C)but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

^8 (A)Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. ^(B)Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and ^(C)purify your hearts, ^(D)you double-minded.

Joash's Treachery

^20 (A)Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah ^(B)the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ^(C)‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? ^(D)Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’”

^4 (A)but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.

David's Charge to Solomon

⁹ “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a ^(A)whole heart and with a willing mind, ^(B)for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. ^(C)If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

^12 (A)Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, ^(B)and I will hear you. ^13 (C)You will seek me and find me, when you seek me ^(D)with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you, declares the Lord, ^(E)and I will restore your fortunes and ^(F)gather you from all the nations and all the places ^(G)where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Ask, and It Will Be Given

^7 (A)“Ask, ^(B)and it will be given to you; ^(C)seek, and you will find; ^(D)knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.