| English Standard Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, | 1The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. |
| 2and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. | 2So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, hear me. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you. |
| 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, | 3For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without instruction, |
| 4but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. | 4but when they turned to the LORD God of Israel in their distress and sought him, he was found by them. |
| 5In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. | 5In those times there was no peace for those who went about their daily activities because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. |
| 6They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. | 6Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every possible distress. |
| 7But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” | 7But as for you, be strong; don't give up, for your work has a reward." |
| 8As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD. | 8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the abhorrent idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He renovated the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD's temple. |
| 9And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. | 9Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, as well as those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing among them, for they had defected to him from Israel in great numbers when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. |
| 10They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. | 10They were gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. |
| 11They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. | 11At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from all the plunder they had brought. |
| 12And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, | 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with all their heart and all their soul. |
| 13but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. | 13Whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel would be put to death, young or old, man or woman. |
| 14They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. | 14They took an oath to the LORD in a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with rams' horns. |
| 15And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around. | 15All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their mind. They had sought him with all their heart, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side. |
| 16Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. | 16King Asa also removed Maacah, his grandmother, from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image, then crushed it and burned it in the Kidron Valley. |
| 17But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. | 17The high places were not taken away from Israel; nevertheless, Asa was wholeheartedly devoted his entire life. |
| 18And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. | 18He brought his father's consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into God's temple: silver, gold, and utensils. |
| 19And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. | 19There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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