Parallel Bible results for "2 chronicles 15"

2 Chronicles 15

English Standard Version ESV

1 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded,

2 and 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.

3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law,

4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.

5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress.

7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded."

8 As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD.

9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11 They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep.

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

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

14 They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns.

15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around.

16 Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.

17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days.

18 And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.

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

The Message Bible MSG

1 Then Azariah son of Obed, moved by the Spirit of God,

2 went out to meet Asa. He said, "Listen carefully, Asa, and listen Judah and Benjamin: God will stick with you as long as you stick with him. If you look for him he will let himself be found; but if you leave him he'll leave you.

3 For a long time Israel didn't have the real God, nor did they have the help of priest or teacher or book.

4 But when they were in trouble and got serious, and decided to seek God, the God of Israel, God let himself be found.

5 At that time it was a dog-eat-dog world; life was constantly up for grabs - no one, regardless of country, knew what the next day might bring.

6 Nation battered nation, city pummeled city. God let loose every kind of trouble among them.

7 "But it's different with you: Be strong. Take heart. Payday is coming!"

8 Asa heard the prophecy of Azariah son of Obed, took a deep breath, then rolled up his sleeves, and went to work: He cleaned out the obscene and polluting sacred shrines from the whole country of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim. He spruced up the Altar of God that was in front of The Temple porch.

9 Then he called an assembly for all Judah and Benjamin, including those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were living there at the time (for many from Israel had left their homes and joined forces with Asa when they saw that God was on his side).

10 They all arrived in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign

11 for a great assembly of worship. From their earlier plunder they offered sacrifices of 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep for the worship.

12 Then they bound themselves in a covenant to seek God, the God of their fathers, wholeheartedly, holding nothing back.

13 And they agreed that anyone who refused to seek God, the God of Israel, should be killed, no matter who it was, young or old, man or woman.

14 They shouted out their promise to God, a joyful sound accompanied with blasts from trumpets and rams' horns.

15 The whole country felt good about the covenant promise - they had given their promise joyfully from the heart. Anticipating the best, they had sought God - and he showed up, ready to be found. God gave them peace within and without - a most peaceable kingdom!

16 In his clean-up of the country, Asa went so far as to remove his mother, Queen Maacah, from her throne because she had built a shockingly obscene image of the sex goddess Asherah. Asa tore it down, smashed it, and burned it up in the Kidron Valley.

17 Unfortunately he didn't get rid of the local sex-and-religion shrines. But he was well-intentioned - his heart was in the right place, loyal to God.

18 All the gold and silver vessels and artifacts that he and his father had consecrated for holy use he installed in The Temple of God.

19 There wasn't a trace of war up to the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.