^15:1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. ^15:2 And he went out to meet Asa and said to him, Hear me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. Jehovah is with you^* while you^* are with him. And if you^* seek him, he will be found of you^*, but if you^* forsake him, he will forsake you^*.

    ^15:3 Now for a long time Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. ^15:4 But when in their distress they turned to Jehovah, the God of Israel and sought him, he was found by them. ^15:5 And in those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in, but great confusions were upon all the inhabitants of the lands. ^15:6 And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation and city against city. For God distressed them with all adversity. ^15:7 But be you^* strong and do not let your^* hands be slack. For your^* work will be rewarded.

    ^15:8 And 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 the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch of Jehovah.

    ^15:9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those who traveled with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh and out of Simeon, for they came to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him. ^15:10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ^15:11 And they sacrificed to Jehovah in that day of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

    ^15:12 And they entered into the covenant to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul. ^15:13 And that whoever would not seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. ^15:14 And they swore to Jehovah with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with cornets. ^15:15 And 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. And Jehovah gave them rest all around.

    ^15:16 And also he removed Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and made dust of it and burnt it at the brook Kidron. ^15:17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

    ^15:18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated, silver and gold and vessels.^15:19 And there was no more war to the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.