2 Chronicles 15

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:	1 Upon Azariah, son of Oded, came the spirit of God.
2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.	2 He went forth to meet Asa and said to him: "Hear me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The LORD is with you when you are with him, and if you seek him he will be present to you; but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.
3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.	3 For a long time Israel had no true God, no priest-teacher and no law,
4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.	4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was present to them.
5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.	5 In that former time there was no peace for anyone to go or come, but there were many terrors upon the inhabitants of the lands.
6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.	6 Nation crushed nation and city crushed city, for God destroyed them by every kind of adversity.
7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.	7 But as for you, be strong and do not relax, for your work shall be rewarded."
8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.	8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy (Oded the prophet), he was encouraged to remove the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had taken in the highlands of Ephraim, and to restore the altar of the LORD which was before the vestibule of the LORD.
9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.	9 Then he convened all Judah and Benjamin, together with those of Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who sojourned with them; for many had fled to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD, his God, was with him.
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.	10 They gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign,
11 And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.	11 and sacrificed to the LORD at that time seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep of the booty they had brought.
12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;	12 They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul;
13 That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.	13 and everyone who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.	14 They swore to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting and with trumpets and horns.
15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.	15 All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and sought him with complete desire, so that he was present to them. And the LORD gave them rest on every side.
16 And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.	16 Maacah, the mother of King Asa, he deposed as queen mother because she had made an outrageous object for Asherah; Asa cut this down, smashed it, and burnt it in the Kidron Valley.
17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.	17 Although the high places did not disappear from Israel, yet Asa's heart was undivided as long as he lived.
18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.	18 He brought into the house of God his father's votive offerings and his own: silver, gold, and various utensils.
19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.	19 There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.