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¹ And the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded.² And he went out before 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 by you. But if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.³ Yea, Israel has been without a true God many days, and without a teaching priest, and without Law.⁴ And they turned in their distress to Jehovah the God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He was found by them.⁵ And in those days there was no peace to him going out, or to him coming in, for much tumult was on all those living in the lands.⁶ And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city. For God troubled them with every distress.⁷ But you, you be strong, and do not let your hands be feeble, for there is a reward for your work.

⁸ And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he made himself strong and removed the hateful idols out of the land of Judah and Benjamin; and out of the cities that he had captured from the hills of Ephraim. And herestored the altar of Jehovah that was before the porch of Jehovah.⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and out of Simeon. For they had fallen to him in abundance from Israel when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him.¹⁰ And they were gathered to Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.¹¹ And they sacrificed to Jehovah on that day, from the plunder they had brought in, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.¹² And they entered into the covenant to seek Jehovah the God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.¹³ And everyone who did not seek after Jehovah the God of Israel was put to death, from the small to the great, from man and to woman.¹⁴ And they swore to Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with rams' horns.¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced on the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart; and they sought Him with all their desire. And He was found by them. And Jehovah gave rest to them all around.¹⁶ And also Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made a horrible image for an Asherah. And Asa cut down her horrible image, and crushed and burned it by the torrent Kidron.¹⁷ Yet the high places were not removed from Israel. Only, the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.¹⁸ And he brought the dedicated things of his father, and his own dedicated things, into the house of God, silver and gold and vessels.¹⁹ And there was no war until the thirty fifth year of the reign of Asa.