| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, | 1God's Spirit came upon Azariah 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. | 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. |
| 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 had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law. |
| 4But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him. | 4Because of their distress, they turned back to the LORD God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them. |
| 5“During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land. | 5In those days no one could travel safely, for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands. |
| 6Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem. | 6One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil. |
| 7But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.” | 7But as for you, be strong and don't get discouraged, for your work will 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 10The people gathered at Jerusalem in late spring, during the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. | 10They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. | 12They solemnly agreed to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being. |
| 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. | 13Anyone who would not seek the LORD God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, male or female. |
| 14They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the LORD with trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding. | 14They swore their allegiance to the LORD, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 17Although the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful throughout his life. | 17The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD throughout his lifetime. |
| 18He brought into the Temple of God the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated. | 18He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God's temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. |
| 19So 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. |
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