| English Standard Version | International Standard Version |
| 1The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, | 1After this, the Spirit of God came to rest on Oded's son Azariah, |
| 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 rebuked him: "Listen to me, Asa, Judah, and Benjamin! The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will allow you to find him, 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, | 3Israel lived for years without the true God, priests to teach them, and the Law, |
| 4but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. | 4but they turned to the LORD God of Israel in their distress. When they sought him, he let them become reacquainted with him. |
| 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. | 5"During those days, it wasn't safe for anyone to come and go, because many civil disturbances afflicted everyone who lived in the territories. |
| 6They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. | 6Nation battled nation, and city fought city, because God was afflicting them all with every kind of distress. |
| 7But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” | 7Now as for you, be strong and never be discouraged, because there will be reward for your work." |
| 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. | 8Encouraged by what Oded's son Azariah the prophet had said in his prophecy, Asa removed the detestable idols from throughout the entire territories of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He repaired the LORD's altar that stood in front of the vestibule 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 together all of Judah, Benjamin, and people from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were living among them, since many people had defected to him from Israel when they learned 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 all assembled in Jerusalem during 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. | 11They sacrificed to the LORD that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil that they had brought with them. |
| 12And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, | 12They also entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with all their heart and 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. | 13and they further agreed that whoever would refuse to seek the LORD God of Israel was to be executed, whether important or unimportant, man or woman. |
| 14They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. | 14They also made a vow to the LORD with loud voices, shouting, trumpets, and 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. | 15Everybody in Judah was very glad to make their oath, because they had made their vow with all their heart and had sought him with all of their might, and they found him! The LORD also gave them rest in their surrounding lands. |
| 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 removed his mother Maacah from her position as Queen Mother because she had made a detestable image dedicated to Asherah. He cut down his mother's idol, crushed it, and burned it at the Kidron Brook. |
| 17But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. | 17Nevertheless, the high places were not removed from Israel, even though Asa's heart was blameless all of his 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. | 18Asa brought into God's Temple the things that his father had dedicated, as well as his own dedicated gifts such as silver, gold, and temple service implements. |
| 19And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. | 19Asa experienced no more war until the end of the thirty-fifth year of his 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 Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
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