³ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the ^(A)Asherim, and the carved and the metal images.

²² And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images ^(A)that Manasseh his father had made, and served them.

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.

^17 (A)Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

¹⁵ and how ^(A)from childhood you have been acquainted with ^(B)the sacred writings, ^(C)which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

³³ But ^(A)seek first ^(B)the kingdom of God and his righteousness, ^(C)and all these things will be added to you.

Remember Your Creator in Your Youth

12 Remember also your Creator in ^(A)the days of your youth, before ^(B)the evil days come and the years draw near of which ^(C)you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;

Beth

¹⁴ They set to work and removed ^(A)the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away ^(B)and threw into the brook Kidron.