2 Chronicles 15:1–9

The Prophet Azariah Warns Asa

¹Now ^athe Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded,

²and he went out ¹to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: ^athe Lord is with you when you are with Him. And ^bif you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

³“^aFor many days Israel was without the true God and without ^ba teaching priest and without law.

⁴“But ^ain their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.

⁵“^aIn those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances ¹afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.

⁶“^aNation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.

⁷“But you, ^abe strong and do not ¹lose courage, for there is ^breward for your work.”

Asa’s Reforms

⁸Now when Asa heard these words and the ¹prophecy 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 ^athe cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. ^bHe then restored the altar of the Lord which was in front of the porch of the Lord.

⁹He gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon ^awho resided with them, for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.