| International Standard Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1After this, the Spirit of God came to rest on Oded's son Azariah, | 1Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the 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. | 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. |
| 3Israel lived for years without the true God, priests to teach them, and the Law, | 3"For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. |
| 4but they turned to the LORD God of Israel in their distress. When they sought him, he let them become reacquainted with him. | 4"But in their distress they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 6Nation battled nation, and city fought city, because God was afflicting them all with every kind of distress. | 6"Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. |
| 7Now as for you, be strong and never be discouraged, because there will be reward for your work." | 7"But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work." |
| 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. | 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 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. | 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. |
| 10They all assembled in Jerusalem during the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. | 10So they assembled at 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. | 11They sacrificed to the LORD that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil they had brought. |
| 12They also entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with all their heart and soul, | 12They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD 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 God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. |
| 14They also made a vow to the LORD with loud voices, shouting, trumpets, and horns. | 14Moreover, they made an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 17Nevertheless, the high places were not removed from Israel, even though Asa's heart was blameless all of his life. | 17But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa's heart was blameless 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. | 18He brought into the house of God the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils. |
| 19Asa experienced no more war until the end of the thirty-fifth year of his reign. | 19And there was no more 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. | 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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