| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. | 1Now the Spirit of God 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. | 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. |
| 3For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; | 3For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law. |
| 4but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. | 4But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. |
| 5And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. | 5In those days there was no safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. |
| 6So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. | 6Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of adversity. |
| 7But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” | 7But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.” |
| 8And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the LORD that was before the vestibule of the LORD. | 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 all Judah and Benjamin, and those who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw 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. |
| 10So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. | 10So they gathered together in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. |
| 11And they offered to the LORD at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the spoil they had brought. | 11At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from all the plunder they had brought back. |
| 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; | 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. |
| 13and whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether 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. |
| 14Then they took an oath before the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns. | 14They took an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns. |
| 15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around. | 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. |
| 16Also he removed Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron. | 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. |
| 17But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days. | 17The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days. |
| 18He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils. | 18And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold articles that he and his father had dedicated. |
| 19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. | 19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign. |
|
