Diḇre haYamim Bĕt (2 Chronicles) 15
15
1And the Spirit of Elohim came upon Azaryahu son of Oḏĕḏ.
2And he went out to face Asa, and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Yehuḏah and Binyamin. יהוה is with you while you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He is found by you, but if you forsake Him, He forsakes you.
3“And for many days Yisra’ĕl has been without the true Elohim, and without a Torah priest, and without Torah.
4“But in their distress they turned to יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, and they sought Him, and He was found by them.
5“And in those days there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, for great disturbances were on all the inhabitants of the lands,
6and they were beaten down, nation by nation, and city by city, for Elohim troubled them with every distress.
7“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be feeble, for there is a reward for your work!”
8And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oḏĕḏ the prophet, he strengthened himself, and removed the abominations from all the land of Yehuḏah and Binyamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephrayim, and restored the slaughter-place of יהוה that was before the porch of יהוה,
9and gathered all Yehuḏah and Binyamin, and those who sojourned with them from Ephrayim, and Menashsheh, and Shim‛on, for they came over to him in great numbers from Yisra’ĕl when they saw that יהוה his Elohim was with him.
10And they gathered together at Yerushalayim in the third new moon, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa,
11and slaughtered to יהוה on that day seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the spoil which they had brought.
12And they entered into a covenant to seek יהוה Elohim of their fathers with all their heart and with all their being;
13and whoever would not seek יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl would be put to death, from small to great, from man to woman.
14And they swore to יהוה with a loud voice, with shouting and with trumpets and with shopharot.
15And all Yehuḏah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their being. And He was found by them, and יהוה gave them rest all around.
16And he also removed Ma‛aḵah, the mother of Asa the sovereign, from being sovereigness mother, because she had made an abominable image of Ashĕrah. And Asa cut down her abominable image, and crushed it, and burned it by the wadi Qiḏron.
17Yet the high places were not removed from Yisra’ĕl. However, the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18And he brought into the House of Elohim the set-apart items of his father and his own set-apart items: silver and gold and utensils.
19And there was no more fighting until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.
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Diḇre haYamim Bĕt (2 Chronicles) 15: TS2009
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2 Chronicles 15
15
Asa’s Religious Reforms
1Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, 2and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. 4But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.
5“During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land. 6Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem. 7But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”
8When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet,#15:8 As in Syriac version and Latin Vulgate (see also 15:1); Hebrew reads from Oded the prophet. he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple.
9Then Asa called together all the people of Judah and Benjamin, along with the people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them. For many from Israel had moved to Judah during Asa’s reign when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10The people gathered at Jerusalem in late spring,#15:10 Hebrew in the third month. This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of May and June. during the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
11On that day they sacrificed to the Lord 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep and goats from the plunder they had taken in the battle. 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. 13They agreed that anyone who refused to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death—whether young or old, man or woman. 14They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the Lord with trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding. 15All in Judah were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side.
16King Asa even deposed his grandmother#15:16 Hebrew his mother. Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole, broke it up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17Although the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful throughout his life. 18He brought into the Temple of God the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated.
19So there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
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