2 Chronicles 15

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

1Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.

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

2He went out to meet King Asa and said to him, 'Listen to me, Asa, and all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The LORD is with you as long as you stay with him. If you look for him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.'

3Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law:

3For a long time Israel lived without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without God's law.

4but when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

4But when they were in trouble, they turned back to the LORD, the God of Israel. They looked for him, and they found him.

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

5In those dark times, it wasn't safe for anyone to travel. There was great chaos among all the people of the different lands.

6And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity.

6Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, because God was throwing them into confusion with all kinds of trouble.

7But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded.

7'But as for you, be strong and do not give up, because you will be rewarded for your hard work.'

8And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch of Jehovah.

8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy from Azariah son of Oded, he took courage. He removed the disgusting idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He also repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the entrance hall of the LORD’s Temple.

9And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him.

9Then he gathered all the people of Judah and Benjamin, along with the people from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them. Many people from Israel had joined Asa 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.

10They gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

11And they sacrificed unto Jehovah in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

11That day they sacrificed to the LORD some of the loot they had brought back—seven hundred cattle and seven thousand sheep.

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

12They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and with all their soul.

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

13They agreed that anyone who refused to seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether they were unimportant or famous, man or woman.

14And they sware unto Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

14They took this oath to the LORD with a loud voice, shouting and blowing trumpets and rams' 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 Jehovah gave them rest round about.

15All the people of Judah were happy about the oath because they had sworn it with all their heart. They sought God eagerly and they found him; so the LORD gave them peace on every side.

16And also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

16King Asa even removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene pole for the goddess Asherah. Asa cut down her obscene pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

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

17Although the local shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart was completely faithful to God throughout his life.

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.

18He brought the silver, the gold, and the supplies that he and his father had dedicated into the Temple of God.

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

19There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.