| New King James Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. | 1The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. |
| 2And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. | 2So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, hear me. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you. |
| 3For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; | 3For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without instruction, |
| 4but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. | 4but when they turned to the LORD God of Israel in their distress and sought him, he was found by them. |
| 5And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. | 5In those times there was no peace for those who went about their daily activities because the residents of the lands had many conflicts. |
| 6So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. | 6Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every possible distress. |
| 7But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” | 7But as for you, be strong; don't give up, for your work has a reward." |
| 8And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the LORD that was before the vestibule of the LORD. | 8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the abhorrent idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He renovated the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD's temple. |
| 9Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. | 9Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, as well as those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing among them, for they had defected to him from Israel in great numbers when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. |
| 10So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. | 10They were gathered in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. |
| 11And they offered to the LORD at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the spoil they had brought. | 11At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from all the plunder they had brought. |
| 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; | 12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their ancestors with all their heart and all their soul. |
| 13and whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. | 13Whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel would be put to death, young or old, man or woman. |
| 14Then they took an oath before the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns. | 14They took an oath to the LORD in a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with rams' horns. |
| 15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around. | 15All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their mind. They had sought him with all their heart, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side. |
| 16Also he removed Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron. | 16King Asa also removed Maacah, his grandmother, from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image, then crushed it and burned it in the Kidron Valley. |
| 17But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days. | 17The high places were not taken away from Israel; nevertheless, Asa was wholeheartedly devoted his entire life. |
| 18He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils. | 18He brought his father's consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into God's temple: silver, gold, and utensils. |
| 19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. | 19There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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