The Prophecy of Azariah

1Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.

2So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

3For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law.

4But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them.

5In those days there was no safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many conflicts.

6Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of adversity.

7But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.”

Asa’s Reforms

8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded ⁸²the prophet, he took courage and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple.

9And he assembled all Judah and Benjamin, along with those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for great numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10So they gathered together in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

11At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from all the plunder they had brought back.

12Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.

13And whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

14They took an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns.

15And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart. They had sought Him earnestly, and He was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.

16King Asa also removed his grandmother ⁸³Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

17The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days.

18And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.

19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.