[1] The Spirit of God came upon Azari'ah the son of Oded, [2] and he went
out 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, and without a teaching priest,
and without law; [4] but when in their distress they turned to the LORD,
the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. [5] In those times
there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great
disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. [6] They were
broken in pieces, nation against nation and city against city, for God
troubled them with every sort of distress. [7] But you, take courage! Do
not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded." [8] When Asa
heard these words, the prophecy of Azari'ah the son of Oded, he took
courage, and put away the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and
Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the hill country of
E'phraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the
vestibule of the house of the LORD. [9] And he gathered all Judah and
Benjamin, and those from E'phraim, Manas'seh, and Simeon who were
sojourning with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel
when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. [10] They were gathered
at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
[11] They sacrificed to the LORD on that day, from the spoil which they had
brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. [12] And they entered
into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their
heart and with all their soul; [13] and that whoever would not seek the
LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man
or woman. [14] They took oath to the LORD with a loud voice, and with
shouting, and with trumpets, and with horns. [15] And all Judah rejoiced
over the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and had sought him
with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them
rest round about. [16] Even Ma'acah, his mother, King Asa removed from
being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Ashe'rah.
Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. [17]
But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless the heart of
Asa was blameless all his days. [18] And he brought into the house of God
the votive gifts of his father and his own votive gifts, silver, and gold,
and vessels. [19] And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of
the reign of Asa.
