II Chronicles 15

¹Now Azariah, the son of Oded, had the Spirit of God within him.

²And he went out to meet Asa, and he said to him: “Listen to me, Asa and all of Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you, because you have been with him. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.

³Then many days will pass in Israel, apart from the true God, and apart from a learned priest, and apart from the law.

⁴And when, in their anguish, they will have returned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and will have sought him, they shall find him.

⁵In that time, there will be no peace for those who depart and those who enter. Instead, there will be terror on every side, among all the inhabitants of the lands.

⁶For nation will fight against nation, and city against city. For the Lord will disturb them with every anguish.

⁷But as for you, be strengthened, and do not let your hands be weakened. For there will be a reward for your work.”

⁸And when Asa had heard these particular words, and the prophecy of the prophet Azariah, the son of Oded, he was strengthened, and he took away the idols from the entire land of Judah, and from Benjamin, and from the cities that he had seized of mount Ephraim, and he dedicated the altar of the Lord, which was before the portico of the Lord.

⁹And he gathered together all of Judah and Benjamin, and with them the new arrivals from Ephraim and Manasseh and Simeon. For many had fled to him from Israel, seeing that the Lord his God was with him.

¹⁰And when they had arrived in Jerusalem, in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa,

¹¹they immolated to the Lord on that day, from the best of the spoils and from the plunder that they had brought: seven hundred oxen and seven thousand rams.

¹²And he entered, according to custom, in order to confirm the covenant, so that they would seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with their whole heart and with their whole soul.

¹³“But if anyone,” he said, “will not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, let him die, from the least even to the greatest, from man even to woman.”

¹⁴And they swore to the Lord, with a great voice, in jubilation, and with the blare of trumpets, and with the sound of horns,

¹⁵all who were in Judah swore with a curse. For with all their heart they swore, and with all their will they sought and found him. And the Lord granted rest on all sides to them.

¹⁶Then too, Maacah, the mother of king Asa, he deposed from the august authority, because she had made an idol of Priapus within a sacred grove. And he entirely crushed it, breaking it into pieces, and he burned it at the torrent Kidron.

¹⁷But some high places were left in Israel. Even so, the heart of Asa was perfect during all his days.

¹⁸And whatever his father or he himself had vowed, he brought into the house of the Lord: silver and gold, and vessels for various uses.

¹⁹Truly, there was no war, until the thirty-fifth year of the kingdom of Asa.

II Chronicles 15

¹And the spirit of God came upon Azarias the son of Oded,

²And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: Hear ye me, Asa, and all Juda and Benjamin: The Lord is with you, because you have been with him. If you seek him, you shall find: but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

³And many days shall pass in Israel, without the true God, and without a priest a teacher, and without the law.

⁴And when in their distress they shall return to the Lord the God of Israel, and shall seek him, they shall find him.

⁵At that time there shall be no peace to him that goeth out and cometh in, but terrors on every side among all the inhabitants of the earth.

⁶For nation shall fight against nation, and city against city, for the Lord will trouble them with all distress.

⁷Do you therefore take courage, and let not your hands be weakened: for there shall be a reward for your work.

⁸And when Asa had heard the words, and the prophecy of Azarias the son of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and took away the idols out of all the land of Juda, and out of Benjamin, and out of the cities of mount Ephraim, which he had taken, and he dedicated the altar of the Lord, which was before the porch of the Lord.

⁹And he gathered together all Juda and Benjamin, and the strangers with them of Ephraim, and Manasses, and Simeon: for many were come over to him out of Israel, seeing that the Lord his God was with him.

¹⁰And when they were come to Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa,

¹¹They sacrificed to the Lord in that day of the spoils, and of the prey, that they had brought, seven hundred oxen, and seven thousand rams.

¹²And he went in to confirm as usual the covenant, that they should seek the Lord the God of their fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul.

¹³And if any one, said he, seek not the Lord the God of Israel, let him die, whether little or great, man or woman.

¹⁴And they swore to the Lord with a loud voice with joyful shouting, and with sound of trumpet, and sound of cornets,

¹⁵All that were in Juda with a curse: for with all their heart they swore, and with all their will they sought him, and they found him, and the Lord gave them rest round about.

¹⁶Moreover Maacha the mother of king Asa he deposed from the royal authority, because she had made in a grove an idol of Priapus: and he entirely destroyed it, and breaking it into pieces, burnt it at the torrent Cedron.

¹⁷But high places were left in Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

¹⁸And the things which his father had vowed, and he himself had vowed, he brought into the house of the Lord, gold and silver, and vessels of divers uses.

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