וַעֲזַרְיָ֙הוּ֙ בֶּן־עוֹדֵ֔ד הָיְתָ֥ה עָלָ֖יו ר֥וּחַ אֱלֹהִֽים׃ The spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.
וַיֵּצֵא֮ לִפְנֵ֣י אָסָא֒ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ שְׁמָע֕וּנִי אָסָ֖א וְכׇל־יְהוּדָ֣ה וּבִנְיָמִ֑ן יְהֹוָ֤ה עִמָּכֶם֙ בִּֽהְיוֹתְכֶ֣ם עִמּ֔וֹ וְאִֽם־תִּדְרְשֻׁ֙הוּ֙ יִמָּצֵ֣א לָכֶ֔ם וְאִם־תַּעַזְבֻ֖הוּ יַעֲזֹ֥ב אֶתְכֶֽם׃ {ס} He came to Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin; the LORD is with you as long as you are with Him. If you turn to Him, He will respond to you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
וְיָמִ֥ים רַבִּ֖ים לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לְלֹ֣א ׀ אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֱמֶ֗ת וּלְלֹ֛א כֹּהֵ֥ן מוֹרֶ֖ה וּלְלֹ֥א תוֹרָֽה׃ Israel has gone many days without the true God, without a priest to give instruction and without Teaching.
וַיָּ֙שׇׁב֙ בַּצַּר־ל֔וֹ עַל־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיְבַקְשֻׁ֖הוּ וַיִּמָּצֵ֥א לָהֶֽם׃ But in distress it returned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, and He responded to them.
וּבָעִתִּ֣ים הָהֵ֔ם אֵ֥ין שָׁל֖וֹם לַיּוֹצֵ֣א וְלַבָּ֑א כִּ֚י מְהוּמֹ֣ת רַבּ֔וֹת עַ֥ל כׇּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֖י הָאֲרָצֽוֹת׃ At those times, aLit. “one who goes out and one who comes in.”no wayfarer-a was safe, for there was much tumult among all the inhabitants of the lands.
וְכֻתְּת֥וּ גוֹי־בְּג֖וֹי וְעִ֣יר בְּעִ֑יר כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֥ים הֲמָמָ֖ם בְּכׇל־צָרָֽה׃ Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God threw them into panic with every kind of trouble.
וְאַתֶּ֣ם חִזְק֔וּ וְאַל־יִרְפּ֖וּ יְדֵיכֶ֑ם כִּ֛י יֵ֥שׁ שָׂכָ֖ר לִפְעֻלַּתְכֶֽם׃ {ס} As for you, be strong, do not be disheartened, for there is reward for your labor.”
וְכִשְׁמֹ֨עַ אָסָ֜א הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה וְהַנְּבוּאָה֮ עֹדֵ֣ד הַנָּבִיא֒ הִתְחַזַּ֗ק וַיַּעֲבֵ֤ר הַשִּׁקּוּצִים֙ מִכׇּל־אֶ֤רֶץ יְהוּדָה֙ וּבִנְיָמִ֔ן וּמִן־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לָכַ֖ד מֵהַ֣ר אֶפְרָ֑יִם וַיְחַדֵּשׁ֙ אֶת־מִזְבַּ֣ח יְהֹוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֕ר לִפְנֵ֖י אוּלָ֥ם יְהֹוָֽה׃ When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the abominations from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He restored the altar of the LORD in front of the porch of the LORD.
וַיִּקְבֹּ֗ץ אֶת־כׇּל־יְהוּדָה֙ וּבִנְיָמִ֔ן וְהַגָּרִים֙ עִמָּהֶ֔ם מֵאֶפְרַ֥יִם וּמְנַשֶּׁ֖ה וּמִשִּׁמְע֑וֹן כִּֽי־נָפְל֨וּ עָלָ֤יו מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל֙ לָרֹ֔ב בִּרְאֹתָ֕ם כִּֽי־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָ֖יו עִמּֽוֹ׃ {פ}
He assembled all the people of Judah and Benjamin and those people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who sojourned among them, for many in Israel had thrown in their lot with him when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
וַיִּקָּבְצ֥וּ יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֑י לִשְׁנַ֥ת חֲמֵשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה לְמַלְכ֥וּת אָסָֽא׃ They were assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
וַיִּזְבְּח֤וּ לַֽיהֹוָה֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא מִן־הַשָּׁלָ֖ל הֵבִ֑יאוּ בָּקָר֙ שְׁבַ֣ע מֵא֔וֹת וְצֹ֖אן שִׁבְעַ֥ת אֲלָפִֽים׃ They brought sacrifices to the LORD on that day; they brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep of the spoil.
וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ בַבְּרִ֔ית לִדְר֕וֹשׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבוֹתֵיהֶ֑ם בְּכׇל־לְבָבָ֖ם וּבְכׇל־נַפְשָֽׁם׃ They entered into a covenant to worship the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.
וְכֹ֨ל אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹֽא־יִדְרֹ֛שׁ לַיהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יוּמָ֑ת לְמִן־קָטֹן֙ וְעַד־גָּד֔וֹל לְמֵאִ֖ישׁ וְעַד־אִשָּֽׁה׃ Whoever would not worship the LORD God of Israel would be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
וַיִּשָּֽׁבְעוּ֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה בְּק֥וֹל גָּד֖וֹל וּבִתְרוּעָ֑ה וּבַחֲצֹצְר֖וֹת וּבְשׁוֹפָרֽוֹת׃ So they took an oath to the LORD in a loud voice and with shouts, with trumpeting and blasts of the horn.
וַיִּשְׂמְח֨וּ כׇל־יְהוּדָ֜ה עַל־הַשְּׁבוּעָ֗ה כִּ֤י בְכׇל־לְבָבָם֙ נִשְׁבָּ֔עוּ וּבְכׇל־רְצוֹנָ֣ם בִּקְשֻׁ֔הוּ וַיִּמָּצֵ֖א לָהֶ֑ם וַיָּ֧נַח יְהֹוָ֛ה לָהֶ֖ם מִסָּבִֽיב׃ All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they swore with all their heart and sought Him with all their will. He responded to them and gave them respite on every side.
וְגַֽם־מַעֲכָ֞ה אֵ֣ם ׀ אָסָ֣א הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ הֱסִירָהּ֙ מִגְּבִירָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשְׂתָ֥ה לָאֲשֵׁרָ֖ה מִפְלָ֑צֶת וַיִּכְרֹ֤ת אָסָא֙ אֶת־מִפְלַצְתָּ֔הּ וַיָּ֕דֶק וַיִּשְׂרֹ֖ף בְּנַ֥חַל קִדְרֽוֹן׃ bWith vv. 16–19, cf. 1 Kings 15.13–16.HecI.e., Asa. also deposed Maacah mother of King Asa from the rank of queen mother, because she had made an abominable thing for [the goddess] Asherah. Asa cut down her abominable thing, reduced it to dust, and burned it in the Wadi Kidron.
וְהַ֨בָּמ֔וֹת לֹא־סָ֖רוּ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל רַ֧ק לְבַב־אָסָ֛א הָיָ֥ה שָׁלֵ֖ם כׇּל־יָמָֽיו׃ The shrines, indeed, were not abolished in Israel; however, Asa was wholehearted [with the LORD] all his life.
וַיָּבֵ֞א אֶת־קׇדְשֵׁ֥י אָבִ֛יו וְקׇדָשָׁ֖יו בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים כֶּ֥סֶף וְזָהָ֖ב וְכֵלִֽים׃ He brought into the House of God the things that he and his father had consecrated—silver, gold, and utensils.
וּמִלְחָמָ֖ה לֹ֣א הָיָ֑תָה עַ֛ד שְׁנַת־שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וְחָמֵ֖שׁ לְמַלְכ֥וּת אָסָֽא׃ {פ}
There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.
