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.

Chapter 16

Asa Wars against Baasha

1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign aBaasha king of Israel came up against Judah and 1fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.

2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying,

3 “Let there be a treaty between 1you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.”

4 So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they 1conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim and all athe 2store cities of Naphtali.

5 When Baasha heard of it, he ceased 1fortifying Ramah and stopped his work.

6 Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he 1fortified Geba and Mizpah.

Asa Imprisons the Prophet

7 At that time aHanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “bBecause you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand.

8 “Were not athe Ethiopians and the Lubim ban immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet cbecause you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand.

9 “For athe eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those bwhose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.”

10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in 1prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

11 aNow, the acts of Asa from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he adid not seek the Lord, but the physicians.

13 So Asa slept with his fathers, 1having died in the forty-first year of his reign.

14 They buried him in his own tomb which he had cut out for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the resting place which he had filled awith spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art; and bthey made a very great fire for him.

Chapter 17

Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa

1 aJehoshaphat his son then became king in his place, and made his position over Israel firm.

2 He placed troops in all athe fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim bwhich Asa his father had captured.

His Good Reign

3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he 1followed the example of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals,

4 but sought the God of his father, 1followed His commandments, aand did not act as Israel did.

5 So the Lord established the kingdom in his 1control, and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and ahe had great riches and honor.

6 1He took great pride in the ways of the Lord and again aremoved the high places and the Asherim from Judah.

7 Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, ato teach in the cities of Judah;

8 and with them athe Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.

9 They taught in Judah, having athe book of the law of the Lord with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

10 Now athe dread of the Lord was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

11 Some of the Philistines abrought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.

12 So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah.

13 He had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and warriors, valiant men, in Jerusalem.

14 This was their muster according to their fathers’ households: of Judah, commanders of thousands, Adnah was the commander, and with him 300,000 valiant warriors;

15 and next to him was Johanan the commander, and with him 280,000;

16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, awho volunteered for the Lord, and with him 200,000 valiant warriors;

17 and of Benjamin, Eliada a valiant warrior, and with him 200,000 armed with bow and shield;

18 and next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 equipped for war.

19 These are they who served the king, apart from athose whom the king put in the fortified cities through all Judah.