The Prophecy of Azariah

1And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. 2And he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. YHWH is with you⁺ in your⁺ being with Him, and if you⁺ seek Him, He will be found by you⁺. But if you⁺ forsake Him, He will forsake you⁺. 3And many days were to Israel without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. 4And they turned in their distress to YHWH, God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He was found by them. 5And in those times there was no peace for one going out, and for one coming in, but great turmoil was upon all those dwelling in the lands. 6And they were beaten down nation by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every distress. 7And you⁺, be strong and do not let your⁺ hands be feeble, for there is reward for your⁺ work.”

Asa’s Reforms
(1 Kings 15:9–15)

8And Asa, hearing these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded† the prophet, strengthened himself and removed the abominations from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he restored the altar of YHWH that was before the face of the portico of YHWH. 9And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who dwelt with them from Ephraim and Manasseh and Simeon, for they fell on him from Israel in great numbers when they saw that YHWH his God was with him.

10And they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11And they offered to YHWH at that time from the plunder they had brought—seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. 12And they entered into a covenant to seek YHWH, God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul. 13And whoever would not seek YHWH, God of Israel, was to be put to death, from small and to great, from man and to woman. 14And they took an oath to YHWH in a loud voice, and with shouting and trumpets and shofars. 15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and with all their soul they had sought Him, and He was found by them. And YHWH gave rest to them all around.

16And Maacah mother† of Asa the king—he removed her as queen mother because she had made a detestable thing to Asherah. And Asa cut down her detestable thing, and he crushed it and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17And the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. 18And he brought the sanctified things of his father, and his sanctified things, into the house of God: Silver and gold and vessels.

19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.