Study Desk

Now, as for Azariah son of Oded, there came upon him, the spirit of God.

So he went forth to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear me, O Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin, - Yahweh, is with you, so long as ye are with him, and, if ye seek him, he will be found of you, but, if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

Now, many days, had Israel been, - without the faithful God, and without a teaching priest, and without the law;

But they turned, in their distress, unto Yahweh God of Israel, - and sought him, and he was found of them.

And, in those times, there had been no prosperity, to him that went out nor to him that came in, - for, great consternations, were upon all the inhabitants of the lands;

and they were beaten in pieces-nation against nation, and city against city, - for, God, discomfited them with all manner of distress.

Ye, therefore, be strong, and let not your hands be slack, - for there is a reward for your work!

And, when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he strengthened himself, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had captured out of the hill country of Ephraim, - and renewed the altar of Yahweh, that was before the porch of Yahweh.

And he gathered together all Judah and Benjamin, and the sojourners with them, out of Ephraim and out of Manasseh, and out of Simeon, - for they fell unto him out of Israel, in great numbers, because they saw that, Yahweh his God, was with him.

So they gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem, in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

And they sacrificed unto Yahweh, on that day, out of the spoil they had brought in, - oxen, seven hundred, and sheep, seven thousand.

And they entered into a covenant, to seek Yahweh, God of their fathers, - with all their heart, and with all their soul;

and, whosoever would not seek unto Yahweh God of Israel, should be put to death, - whether small or great, whether man or woman.

So they bound themselves by oath unto Yahweh, with a loud voice, and with shouting, - and with trumpets and with horns.

And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for, with all their heart, had they sworn, and, with all their good will, had they sought him, and he was found of them, - and Yahweh gave them rest round about.

Moreover also, as touching Maacah mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made, unto the Sacred Stem, a monstrous thing, - so Asa cut down her monstrous thing, and reduced it to dust, and burnt it up, in the Kidron ravine.

But, the high places, were not taken away out of Israel, - only, the heart of Asa, was perfect, all his days.

And he brought the hallowed things of his father and his own hallowed things, into the house of God, - silver and gold, and utensils.

And, war, was there none, - until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.