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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.

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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 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.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 15:2 Lit before Asa
  2. 2 Chronicles 15:5 Lit were on
  3. 2 Chronicles 15:7 Lit let your hands drop
  4. 2 Chronicles 15:8 With several ancient versions; MT the prophecy, Oded the prophet
  5. 2 Chronicles 15:15 Lit with all their whole desire
  6. 2 Chronicles 15:16 Or for Asherah; i.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity
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