2 Chronicles 15

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 The spirit of God then came on Azariah son of Oded;	1 Upon Azariah, son of Oded, came the spirit of God.
2 he went out to meet Asa and said, 'Listen to me, Asa, and all you in Judah and in Benjamin: Yahwehwil be with you so long as you are with him. If you seek him, he will let you find him; but if you desert him, he wildesert 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 For a long time Israel did not have the true God or a teacher-priest or a law,	3 For a long time Israel had no true God, no priest-teacher and no law,
4 but when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, God of Israel, and sought him, he let them find him.	4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was present to them.
5 In those times there was no security for people as they went about their business, but great unrestaffecting the inhabitants of all 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 nation being crushed by nation and city by city, since God caused confusion among them by everykind of distress.	6 Nation crushed nation and city crushed city, for God destroyed them by every kind of adversity.
7 So be strong, do not be discouraged, for your deeds wil be rewarded.'	7 But as for you, be strong and do not relax, for your work shall be rewarded."
8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy, he took courage and removed the abominable idolsthroughout the land of Judah and Benjamin as wel as from the towns which he had captured in the highlands ofEphraim, and repaired the altar of Yahweh which stood in front of the portico of Yahweh.	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 He summoned al Judah and Benjamin as wel as those Ephraimites, Manassehites and Simeoniteswho had settled with them -- for a great many people from Israel had gone over to Asa when they saw thatYahweh 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 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign,	10 They gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign,
11 that day sacrificing to Yahweh seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the booty whichthey had brought back.	11 and sacrificed to the LORD at that time seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep of the booty they had brought.
12 They then made a covenant to seek Yahweh, God of their ancestors, with al their heart and soul;	12 They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul;
13 anyone who would not seek Yahweh, God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether high or low, manor 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 They pledged their oath to Yahweh in ringing tones, with shouts of joy, to the sound of trumpet andhorn;	14 They swore to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting and with trumpets and horns.
15 al Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it wholeheartedly, and sought him so earnestlythat he al owed them to find him; Yahweh gave them peace all round.	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 King Asa even deprived his mother Maacah of the dignity of Great Lady for having made anobscenity for Asherah; Asa cut down her obscenity, smashed it and burnt it in the ravine of the 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 Though the high places were not abolished in Israel, Asa's heart was loyal throughout his life.	17 Although the high places did not disappear from Israel, yet Asa's heart was undivided as long as he lived.
18 He deposited his father's and his own dedicated gifts of silver, gold and sacred vessels, in theTemple of Yahweh.	18 He brought into the house of God his father's votive offerings and his own: silver, gold, and various utensils.
19 Up to the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign there was no war.	19 There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.