1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded. 2 He went out to meet Asa, and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh is with you while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law. 4 But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, 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, nor to him who came in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity. 7 But you be strong! Don’t let your hands be slack, for your work will be rewarded."

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill country of Ephraim; and he renewed Yahweh’s altar that was before Yahweh’s porch. 9 He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who lived with them out of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon; for they came to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him. 10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 They sacrificed to Yahweh in that day, of the plunder which they had brought, seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep. 12 They entered into the covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul; 13 and that whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. 14 They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with cornets. 15 All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found by them. Then Yahweh gave them rest all around.

16 Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; so Asa cut down her image, ground it into dust, and burned it at the brook Kidron. 17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. 18 He brought the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated, silver, gold, and vessels into God’s house. 19 There was no more war to the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

1 Então veio o Espírito de Deus sobre Azarias, filho de Odede.

2 E saiu ao encontro de Asa, e disse-lhe: Ouvi-me, Asa, e todo o Judá e Benjamim: O Senhor está convosco, enquanto vós estais com ele, e, se o buscardes, o achareis; porém, se o deixardes, vos deixará.

3 E Israel esteve por muitos dias sem o verdadeiro Deus, e sem sacerdote que o ensinasse, e sem lei.

4 Mas quando na sua angústia voltaram para o Senhor Deus de Israel, e o buscaram, o acharam.

5 E naqueles tempos não havia paz, nem para o que saía, nem para o que entrava, mas muitas perturbações sobre todos os habitantes daquelas terras.

6 Porque nação contra nação e cidade contra cidade se despedaçavam; porque Deus os perturbara com toda a angústia.

7 Mas esforçai-vos, e não desfaleçam as vossas mãos; porque a vossa obra tem uma recompensa.

8 Ouvindo, pois, Asa estas palavras, e a profecia do profeta Odede, cobrou ânimo e tirou as abominações de toda a terra, de Judá e de Benjamim, como também das cidades que tomara nas montanhas de Efraim, e renovou o altar do Senhor, que estava diante do pórtico do Senhor.

9 E reuniu a todo o Judá, e Benjamim, e com eles os estrangeiros de Efraim e Manassés, e de Simeão; porque muitos de Israel tinham passado a ele, vendo que o Senhor seu Deus era com ele.

10 E ajuntaram-se em Jerusalém no terceiro mês; no ano décimo do reinado de Asa.

11 E no mesmo dia ofereceram em sacrifício ao Senhor, do despojo que trouxeram, setecentos bois e sete mil ovelhas.

12 E entraram na aliança para buscarem o Senhor Deus de seus pais, com todo o seu coração, e com toda a sua alma;

13 E de que todo aquele que não buscasse ao Senhor Deus de Israel, morresse; assim o menor como o maior, tanto o homem como a mulher.

14 E juraram ao Senhor, em alta voz, com júbilo e com trombetas e buzinas.

15 E todo o Judá se alegrou deste juramento; porque de todo o seu coração juraram, e de toda a sua vontade o buscaram, e o acharam; e o Senhor lhes deu repouso ao redor.

16 E também a Maaca, sua mãe, o rei Asa depôs, para que não fosse mais rainha, porquanto fizera um horrível ídolo, a Aserá; e Asa destruiu o seu horrível ídolo, e o despedaçou, e o queimou junto ao ribeiro de Cedrom.

17 Os altos, porém, não foram tirados de Israel; contudo o coração de Asa foi perfeito todos os seus dias.

18 E trouxe, à casa de Deus, as coisas consagradas por seu pai, e as coisas que ele mesmo tinha consagrado: prata, ouro e vasos.

19 E não houve guerra até ao ano trigésimo quinto do reinado de Asa.