| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, | 1God's Spirit came upon 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. | 2He met Asa and told him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The LORD is with you when you are loyal to him. If you seek him, he will respond to you, but if you reject him, he will reject you. |
| 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, | 3For a long time Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law. |
| 4but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. | 4Because of their distress, they turned back to the LORD God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to 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 days no one could travel safely, for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands. |
| 6They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. | 6One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil. |
| 7But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” | 7But as for you, be strong and don't get discouraged, for your work will be rewarded." |
| 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 Oded the prophet, he was encouraged. 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. |
| 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. | 9He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live 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 assembled 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 some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep. |
| 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 solemnly agreed to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being. |
| 13but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. | 13Anyone who would not seek the LORD God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, male or female. |
| 14They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. | 14They swore their allegiance to the LORD, shouting their approval loudly and sounding 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. | 15All 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. He made them secure 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 her position as queen mother because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and crushed 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 eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD throughout his lifetime. |
| 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 the holy items that his father and he had made into God's temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. |
| 19And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. | 19There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. |
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