| International Standard Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1After this, the Spirit of God came to rest on Oded's son Azariah, | 1Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. |
| 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. | 2So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. |
| 3Israel lived for years without the true God, priests to teach them, and the Law, | 3For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law. |
| 4but they turned to the LORD God of Israel in their distress. When they sought him, he let them become reacquainted with him. | 4But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. |
| 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. | 5In those days there was no safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. |
| 6Nation battled nation, and city fought city, because God was afflicting them all with every kind of distress. | 6Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of adversity. |
| 7Now as for you, be strong and never be discouraged, because there will be reward for your work." | 7But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.” |
| 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. | 8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple. |
| 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. | 9And he assembled all Judah and Benjamin, along with those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for great numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. |
| 10They all assembled in Jerusalem during the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. | 10So they gathered together in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. |
| 11They sacrificed to the LORD that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil that they had brought with them. | 11At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from all the plunder they had brought back. |
| 12They also entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with all their heart and soul, | 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. |
| 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. | 13And whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. |
| 14They also made a vow to the LORD with loud voices, shouting, trumpets, and horns. | 14They took an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns. |
| 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. | 15And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart. They had sought Him earnestly, and He was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side. |
| 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. | 16King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. |
| 17Nevertheless, the high places were not removed from Israel, even though Asa's heart was blameless all of his life. | 17The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days. |
| 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. | 18And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold articles that he and his father had dedicated. |
| 19Asa experienced no more war until the end of the thirty-fifth year of his reign. | 19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. |
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