1 Now A2 Chr 20:14; 24:20the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out 1Lit before Asato meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: A2 Chr 20:17the Loʀᴅ is with you when you are with Him. And B2 Chr 15:4, 15if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 3  “A1 Kin 12:28-33For many days Israel was without the true God and without BLev 10:8-11; 2 Chr 17:9a teaching priest and without law. 4  “But ADeut 4:29in their distress they turned to the Loʀᴅ God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. 5  “AJudg 5:6In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances 1Lit were onafflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6  “AMatt 24:7Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. 7  “But you, AJosh 1:7, 9be strong and do not 1Lit let your hands droplose courage, for there is BPs 58:11reward for your work.”

8 Now when Asa heard these words and the 1With several ancient versions; Heb the prophecy, Oded the prophetprophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from A2 Chr 13:19the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. B2 Chr 4:1; 8:12He then restored the altar of the Loʀᴅ which was in front of the porch of the Loʀᴅ. 9 He gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon A2 Chr 11:16who resided with them, for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that the Loʀᴅ his God was with him. 10 So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 A2 Chr 14:13-15They sacrificed to the Loʀᴅ that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil they had brought. 12 A2 Chr 23:16They entered into the covenant to seek the Loʀᴅ God of their fathers with all their heart and soul; 13 and whoever would not seek the Loʀᴅ God of Israel AEx 22:20; Deut 13:6-9should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. 14 Moreover, they made an oath to the Loʀᴅ with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with horns. 15 All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him 1Lit with their whole desireearnestly, and He let them find Him. So A2 Chr 14:7the Loʀᴅ gave them rest on every side.

16 A1 Kin 15:13-15He also removed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from the position of queen mother, because she had made a horrid image 1Or for Asherahas BEx 34:13an Asherah, and C2 Chr 14:2-5Asa cut down her horrid image, crushed it and burned it at the brook Kidron. 17 But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa’s heart was blameless all his days. 18 He brought into the house of God the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils. 19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.