The Reforms of Asa

1And the spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

2And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

3Now for a long time Israel has been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

4But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

5And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great turmoil was upon all the inhabitants of the countries.

6And nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city: for God did trouble them with all adversity.

7Be you strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

8And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim, and repaired the altar of the LORD, that was before the vestibule of the LORD.

9And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the sojourners with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they came over to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11And they offered unto the LORD on that day some of the plunder which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

12And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

13That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14And they swore unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with horns.

15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.

16And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an abominable image on an idol pole: and Asa cut down her idol, and crushed it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

17But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

18And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.

19And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.