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.

Asa’s Last Years^(AD)(AE)

16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha^(AF) king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

² Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.^{(AG) 3} “Let there be a treaty^(AH) between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”

⁴ Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim^[b] and all the store cities of Naphtali.^{(AI) 5} When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. ⁶ Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.^(AJ)

⁷ At that time Hanani^(AK) the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied^(AL) on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. ⁸ Were not the Cushites^[c](AM) and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers^(AN) of chariots and horsemen^[d]? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered^(AO) them into your hand. ⁹ For the eyes^(AP) of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish^(AQ) thing, and from now on you will be at war.^(AR)”

¹⁰ Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison.^(AS) At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.

¹¹ The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted^(AT) with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek^(AU) help from the Lord,^(AV) but only from the physicians. ¹³ Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors. ¹⁴ They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself^(AW) in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes,^(AX) and they made a huge fire^(AY) in his honor.

²⁷ “Now my soul is troubled,^(A) and what shall I say? ‘Father,^(B) save me from this hour’?^(C) No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven,^(D) “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

³⁰ Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit,^(E) not mine. ³¹ Now is the time for judgment on this world;^(F) now the prince of this world^(G) will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up^[a] from the earth,^(H) will draw all people to myself.”^{(I) 33} He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.^(J)

³⁴ The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law^(K) that the Messiah will remain forever,^(L) so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man^(M) must be lifted up’?^(N) Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

³⁵ Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light^(O) just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light,^(P) before darkness overtakes you.^(Q) Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”^(R) When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.^(S)

Belief and Unbelief Among the Jews

³⁷ Even after Jesus had performed so many signs^(T) in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory^(W) and spoke about him.^(X)

⁴² Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.^(Y) But because of the Pharisees^(Z) they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;^{(AA) 43} for they loved human praise^(AB) more than praise from God.^(AC)

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.^{(AD) 45} The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.^{(AE) 46} I have come into the world as a light,^(AF) so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

⁴⁷ “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.^{(AG) 48} There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them^(AH) at the last day. ⁴⁹ For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me^(AI) to say all that I have spoken. ⁵⁰ I know that his command leads to eternal life.^(AJ) So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”^(AK)