Loading…
15 The Spirit of God came onc Azariah son of Oded. 2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with youd when you are with him.e If you seekf him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.g 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teachh and without the law.i 4 But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him,j and he was found by them. 5 In those days it was not safe to travel about,k for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. 6 One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another,l because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. 7 But as for you, be strongm and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”n
8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son ofa Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idolso from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had capturedp in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altarq of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.
9 Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbersr had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10 They assembled at Jerusalem in the third months of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plundert they had brought back. 12 They entered into a covenantu to seek the Lord,v the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. 13 All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death,w whether small or great, man or woman. 14 They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. 15 All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought Godx eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them resty on every side.
16 King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakahz from her position as queen mother,a because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah.b Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley.c 17 Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. 18 He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.d
19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
|
About The New International VersionThe NIV is the world’s most read and trusted contemporary English Bible translation. It follows the principle of "dynamic equivalence" to ensure crystal clear understandable English. The NIV is the most readable English Bible ever produced. |
| Copyright |
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.™ Used by Permission. All rights reserved worldwide. “New International Version” and “NIV” are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. The NIV® text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page as follows: “Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.” The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ When quotations from the NIV® text are used by a local church in non-saleable media such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, overhead transparencies, or similar materials, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIV®) must appear at the end of each quotation. Any commentary or other biblical reference work produced for commercial sale, that uses the NIV® text must obtain written permission for use of the NIV® text. Permission requests for commercial use within the USA and Canada that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by The Zondervan Corporation, 5300 Patterson Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530, USA. www.Zondervan.com Permission requests for commercial use within the UK, EU and EFTA that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by Hodder & Stoughton Limited, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH, United Kingdom. www.Hodder.co.uk Permission requests for non-commercial use that exceeds the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by Biblica US, Inc., 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921, USA. www.Biblica.com Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this Bible are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of the Bible. |
| Support Info | niv2011 |