| New American Standard Bible 1995 | NET Bible |
| 1Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, | 1God's Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded. |
| 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. | 2He met Asa and told him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The LORD is with you when you are loyal to him. If you seek him, he will respond to you, but if you reject him, he will reject you. |
| 3"For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. | 3For a long time Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law. |
| 4"But in their distress they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. | 4Because of their distress, they turned back to the LORD God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them. |
| 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. | 5In those days no one could travel safely, for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands. |
| 6"Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. | 6One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil. |
| 7"But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work." | 7But as for you, be strong and don't get discouraged, for your work will be rewarded." |
| 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. | 8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was encouraged. He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He repaired the altar of the LORD in front of the porch of the LORD's temple. |
| 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. | 9He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. |
| 10So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. | 10They assembled in 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 they had brought. | 11At that time they sacrificed to the LORD some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep. |
| 12They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and soul; | 12They solemnly agreed to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being. |
| 13and whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. | 13Anyone who would not seek the LORD God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, male or female. |
| 14Moreover, they made an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with horns. | 14They swore their allegiance to the LORD, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns. |
| 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. | 15All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the LORD and he responded to them. He made them secure on every side. |
| 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. | 16King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother from her position as queen mother because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley. |
| 17But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa's heart was blameless all his days. | 17The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD throughout his lifetime. |
| 18He brought into the house of God the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils. | 18He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God's temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. |
| 19And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. | 19There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. |
| 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 | NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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