New Living Translation

New King James Version

Asa’s Religious Reforms

Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded,

The Reforms of Asa

Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.

and 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.

2

And he went out [a]to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

3

For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them.

3

For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law;

4

But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.

4

but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.

5

“During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land.

5

And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands.

6

Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem.

6

So nation was [b]destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity.

7

But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”

7

But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”

8

When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet,a 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.

8

And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of [c]Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the Lord that was before the vestibule of the Lord.

9

Then 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.

9

Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

10

The people gathered at Jerusalem in late spring,b during the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

10

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

11

On that day they sacrificed to the LORD 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep and goats from the plunder they had taken in the battle.

11

And they offered to the Lord [d]at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the [e]spoil they had brought.

12

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

12

Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

13

They 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.

13

and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14

They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the LORD with trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding.

14

Then they took an oath before the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns.

15

All 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.

15

And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.

16

King Asa even deposed his grandmotherc 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.

16

Also he removed Maachah, the [f]mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of [g]Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron.

17

Although the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful throughout his life.

17

But the [h]high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days.

18

He brought into the Temple of God the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated.

18

He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils.

19

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

19

And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

2 Chronicles 15

2 Chronicles 15