| Berean Study Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. | 1Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, |
| 2So 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. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. | 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. |
| 3For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law. | 3"For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. |
| 4But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. | 4"But in their distress they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. |
| 5In those days there was no safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. | 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. |
| 6Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of adversity. | 6"Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. |
| 7But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.” | 7"But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work." |
| 8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple. | 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. |
| 9And he assembled all Judah and Benjamin, along with those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for great numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. | 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. |
| 10So they gathered together in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. | 10So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. |
| 11At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from all the plunder they had brought back. | 11They sacrificed to the LORD that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil they had brought. |
| 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. | 12They entered into the covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and soul; |
| 13And whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. | 13and whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. |
| 14They took an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns. | 14Moreover, they made an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with horns. |
| 15And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart. They had sought Him earnestly, and He was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side. | 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. |
| 16King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. | 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. |
| 17The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days. | 17But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa's heart was blameless all his days. |
| 18And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold articles that he and his father had dedicated. | 18He brought into the house of God the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils. |
| 19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign. | 19And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. |
| The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. | 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 |
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