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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

2 Chronicles 15:3

For a long time, the people of Israel did not worship the true God or listen to priests who could teach them about God. They refused to obey God's Law.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Backsliders;   Courage;   Instruction;   Minister, Christian;   Prayer;   Preaching;   Repentance;   Revivals;   Simeon;   Word of God;   Thompson Chain Reference - Azariah;   Destitution, Spiritual;   Poverty, Spiritual;   Poverty-Riches;   Spiritual;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Artaxerxes;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Priest, Priesthood;   Teach, Teacher;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Preaching;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Azariah;   Education;   Priest;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Azariah;   Truth;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Azariah;   Chronicles, I;   Priests and Levites;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Oded;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Priest;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Azariah;   Catechist;   Famine;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Asa;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Bat Ḳol;   Huna;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without instruction,
Hebrew Names Version
Now for a long season Yisra'el was without the true God, and without a teaching Kohen, and without law:
King James Version
Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
English Standard Version
For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law,
New Century Version
For a long time Israel was without the true God and without a priest to teach them and without the teachings.
New English Translation
For a long time Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law.
Amplified Bible
"Now for a long time Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest, and without [God's] law.
New American Standard Bible
"For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without the Law.
World English Bible
Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law:
Geneva Bible (1587)
Nowe for a long season Israel hath bene without the true God, and without Priest to teach and without Lawe.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now for many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law.
Berean Standard Bible
For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without law.
Complete Jewish Bible
For a long time Isra'el was without the true God, without a cohen who could teach, and without Torah.
Darby Translation
Now for a long while Israel [was] without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law;
Easy-to-Read Version
For a long time Israel was without the true God. And they were without a teaching priest, and without the law.
George Lamsa Translation
Now for a long time Israel has not served their God in truth and has not accepted the teaching of their priests and would not obey their laws; therefore they were delivered into the hand of their enemies.
Good News Translation
For a long time Israel lived without the true God, without priests to teach them, and without a law.
Lexham English Bible
Now Israel has been without the true God many days, and without a teaching priest, and without law,
Literal Translation
Yea, Israel has been without a true God many days, and without a teaching priest, and without Law.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles there shal be many dayes in Israel, that there shalbe no true God, no prest to teach, & no lawe.
American Standard Version
Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law:
Bible in Basic English
Now for a long time Israel has been without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without the law;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nowe for a long season Israel hath ben without the true God, and without priestes to teache, and without law.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now for long seasons Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law;
King James Version (1611)
Now for a long season Israel hath bene without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Israel has been a long time without the true God, and without a priest to expound the truth, and without the law.
English Revised Version
Now for long seasons Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe many daies schulen passe in Israel with outen veri God, and without preest, and without techere, and without lawe.
Update Bible Version
Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law:
Webster's Bible Translation
Now for a long season Israel [hath been] without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
New King James Version
For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law;
New Living Translation
For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them.
New Life Bible
For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching religious leader, and without law.
New Revised Standard
For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, many days, had Israel been, - without the faithful God, and without a teaching priest, and without the law;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And many days shall pass in Israel, without the true God, and without a priest a teacher, and without the law.
Revised Standard Version
For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law;
Young's Literal Translation
and many days [are] to Israel without a true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law.

Contextual Overview

1 Some time later, God spoke to Azariah son of Oded. 2 At once, Azariah went to Asa and said: Listen to me, King Asa and you people of Judah and Benjamin. The Lord will be with you and help you, as long as you obey and worship him. But if you disobey him, he will desert you. 3 For a long time, the people of Israel did not worship the true God or listen to priests who could teach them about God. They refused to obey God's Law. 4 But whenever trouble came, Israel turned back to the Lord their God and worshiped him. 5 There was so much confusion in those days that it wasn't safe to go anywhere in Israel. 6 Nations were destroying each other, and cities were wiping out other cities, because God was causing trouble and unrest everywhere. 7 So you must be brave. Don't give up! God will honor you for obeying him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a long: 1 Kings 12:28-33, Hosea 3:4

true God: Jeremiah 10:10, John 17:3, 1 Thessalonians 1:9, 1 John 5:20

a teaching: 2 Chronicles 17:8, 2 Chronicles 17:9, Leviticus 10:11, Deuteronomy 33:10, Nehemiah 8:9, Ezekiel 44:21-23, Micah 3:11, Malachi 2:7, Matthew 2:4, Matthew 2:5, 1 Timothy 3:2

without law: Romans 2:12, Romans 7:8, Romans 7:9, 1 Corinthians 9:21

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 17:7 - to teach 2 Chronicles 30:22 - taught Lamentations 2:9 - the law Hosea 4:6 - for Ephesians 2:12 - without Ephesians 4:11 - pastors

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others.
Genesis 13:16
I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and someday it will be easier to count the specks of dust than to count your descendants.
Genesis 14:14
that his nephew Lot had been taken away. Three hundred eighteen of Abram's servants were fighting men, so he took them and followed the enemy as far north as the city of Dan.
Proverbs 13:12
Not getting what you want can make you feel sick, but a wish that comes true is a life-giving tree.
Proverbs 29:21
Slaves that you treat kindly from their childhood will cause you sorrow.
Proverbs 30:23
a hateful woman who finds a husband, and a slave who takes the place of the woman who owns her.
Ecclesiastes 2:7
I owned slaves, and their sons and daughters became my slaves. I had more sheep and goats than anyone who had ever lived in Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 12:1
Whenever I complain to you, Lord , you are always fair. But now I have questions about your justice. Why is life easy for sinners? Why are they successful?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now for a long season Israel [hath been] without the true God,.... The fear, worship, and service of him being greatly neglected by them for a long time; what period of time is referred to is not expressed, whether past, present, or to come, but left to be supplied; the Targum refers this to the time of the separation of the ten tribes, and the days of Jeroboam, when the calves were worshipped, and not the true God, and the teaching priests of the Lord were cast out, and the law of the Lord, especially with respect to worship, was not regarded, in which it is followed by many interpreters; others think it refers to time to come, and to what would be the case, should they forsake the Lord; and was fulfilled in the Babylonish captivity, see Hosea 3:4 and the Jews k say, that

"Oded prophesied that the days should come, when Israel would be "without the true God", since judgment should not be done in the world: and "without a teaching priest"; since the high priesthood should cease, (see Hebrews 7:12) "and without the law"; since the sanhedrim should cease;''

but according to our supplement, and which seems most correct, it refers to time past; not to the case of the ten tribes from the times of Jeroboam; nor to the case of Judah from the times of Rehoboam; but to times more remote, even the times of the judges, when they worshipped Baal and Ashtaroth, and not the true God, Judges 2:10, yet at the same time suggesting, that should the present inhabitants of Judah go into the same practices, their case would be like theirs, described in the following verses:

and without a teaching priest: as they were under the judges, from the times of Phinehas to those of Eli, which was a long space of time:

and without law; every man doing as he pleased, there being no king in Israel, nor any regard paid to the law of God, moral or ceremonial, Judges 17:6.

k Vajikra Rabba, sect. 19. fol. 160. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

“Israel” here is used generally for the whole people of God; and the reference is especially to the many apostasies in the days of the Judges, which were followed by repentance and deliverance.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 15:3. Now for a long season Israel — "Israel hath followed Jeroboam, and they have not worshipped the true God. They have burnt incense to their golden calves; their priestlings [כומריא cumeraiya, their black, sooty sacrificers] have burnt perfumes with a strange worship, and have not exercised themselves in the law." - Targum. These priests could not teach, because they had not learnt; and as they had abandoned the law of the Lord, consequently they had no proper matter for instruction.

There is a great diversity of opinions concerning the meaning of this text. Some consider it a prophecy relative to the future state of this people, and the final destruction of the Jews as to their political existence: others consider it as referring to the state of the people under the reigns of Rehoboam and Abijah, which were happily changed under that of Asa; and this appears to me to be the most natural sense of the words.


 
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