| New Living Translation | English Standard Version |
| 1Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, | 1The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, |
| 2and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The LORD will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. | 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. |
| 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. | 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, |
| 4But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him. | 4but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. |
| 5“During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land. | 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. |
| 6Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem. | 6They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. |
| 7But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.” | 7But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” |
| 8When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the LORD, which stood in front of the entry room of the LORD’s Temple. | 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. |
| 9Then Asa called together all the people of Judah and Benjamin, along with the people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them. For many from Israel had moved to Judah during Asa’s reign when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. | 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. |
| 10The people gathered at Jerusalem in late spring, during the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. | 10They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. |
| 11On that day they sacrificed to the LORD 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep and goats from the plunder they had taken in the battle. | 11They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. |
| 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. | 12And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, |
| 13They agreed that anyone who refused to seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death—whether young or old, man or woman. | 13but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. |
| 14They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the LORD with trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding. | 14They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. |
| 15All in Judah were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him. And the LORD gave them rest from their enemies on every side. | 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. |
| 16King Asa even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole, broke it up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. | 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. |
| 17Although the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful throughout his life. | 17But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. |
| 18He brought into the Temple of God the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated. | 18And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. |
| 19So there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign. | 19And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | 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. |
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