| New King James Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. | 1Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the 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. | 2and 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. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; 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; | 3"For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. |
| 4but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. | 4"But in their distress they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. |
| 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. | 5"In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. |
| 6So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. | 6"Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. |
| 7But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” | 7"But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work." |
| 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. | 8Now when Asa heard these words and the prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD which was in front of the porch of the LORD. |
| 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. | 9He gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who resided with them, for many defected 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 assembled at 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. | 11They sacrificed to the LORD that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil they had brought. |
| 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; | 12They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD 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 God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. |
| 14Then they took an oath before the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns. | 14Moreover, they made an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with 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. | 15All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. 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. | 16He also removed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from the position of queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah, and Asa cut down her horrid image, crushed it and burned it at the brook Kidron. |
| 17But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days. | 17But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa's heart was blameless 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. | 18He brought into the house of God the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils. |
| 19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. | 19And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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