Chapter 15

The Prophet Azariah Warns Asa

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

2 and 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

8 Now 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.

9 He 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.

10 So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

11 aThey sacrificed to the Lord that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil they had brought.

12 aThey entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul;

13 and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel ashould be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.

14 Moreover, they made an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with horns.

15 All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him 1earnestly, and He let them find Him. So athe Lord gave them rest on every side.

16 aHe also removed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from the position of queen mother, because she had made a horrid image 1as ban Asherah, and cAsa cut down her horrid image, crushed it and burned it at the brook Kidron.

17 But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa’s heart was blameless all his days.

18 He brought into the house of God the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils.

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