Asa Makes Judah a Better Nation
1The Spirit of God came on Azariah. He was the son of Oded. 2Azariah went out to meet Asa. He said to him, “Asa and all you people of Judah and Benjamin, listen to me. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you really look for him, you will find him. But if you desert him, he will desert you. 3For a long time Israel didn’t worship the true God. They didn’t have a priest who taught them. So they didn’t know God’s law. 4But when they were in trouble, they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel. When they did, they found him. 5In those days it wasn’t safe to travel around. The people who lived in all the areas of the land were having a lot of trouble. 6One nation was crushing another. One city was crushing another. That’s because God was causing them to suffer terribly. 7But be strong. Don’t give up. God will reward you for your work.”
8Asa heard that prophecy. He paid attention to the words of Azariah the prophet, the son of Oded. So Asa became bolder than ever. He removed the statues of gods from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin. He also removed them from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He did it because the Lord hated those gods. Asa repaired the altar of the Lord. It was in front of the porch of the Lord’s temple.
9Then Asa gathered together all the people of Judah and Benjamin. He also gathered together the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who were living among them. Large numbers of people had come over to him from Israel. They came because they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10They gathered in Jerusalem. It was the third month of the 15th year of Asa’s rule. 11At that time they sacrificed to the Lord 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep and goats. The animals were among the things they had taken after the battle. 12They made a covenant to obey the Lord, the God of their people. They would obey him with all their heart and soul. 13All those who wouldn’t obey the Lord, the God of Israel, would be killed. It wouldn’t matter how important they were. It wouldn’t matter whether they were men or women. 14They made a promise to the Lord. They praised him out loud. They shouted. They blew trumpets and horns. 15All the people of Judah were happy about the promise they had made. They turned to God with all their heart. When they did, they found him. So the Lord gave them peace and rest on every side.
16King Asa also removed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother. That’s because she had made a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. The Lord hated it. So Asa cut it down. He broke it up. He burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17Asa didn’t remove the high places from Israel. But he committed his whole life completely to the Lord. 18He and his father had set apart silver, gold and other things to the Lord. Asa brought them into God’s temple.
19There weren’t any more wars until the 35th year of Asa’s rule.
Àtúnṣe asà
1Ẹ̀mí Ọlọ́run wá sórí Asariah ọmọ Odedi. 2Ó jáde lọ bá Asa, ó sì wí fún un pé, “Tẹ́tí si mi Asa, àti gbogbo Juda àti Benjamini. Olúwa wà pẹ̀lú rẹ, nígbà tí ìwọ bá wà pẹ̀lú rẹ̀. Ti ìwọ bá wá a, ìwọ yóò rí i ní ẹ̀bá ọ̀dọ̀ rẹ ṣùgbọ́n tí ìwọ bá kọ̀ ọ́ sílẹ̀, òun yóò kọ̀ ọ́ sílẹ̀. 3Fún ọjọ́ pípẹ́ ni Israẹli ti wà láì sin Ọlọ́run òtítọ́, àti láìní àlùfáà ti ń kọ́ ni, àti láìní òfin. 4Ṣùgbọ́n nínú ìpọ́njú wọn, wọ́n yí padà si Olúwa Ọlọ́run Israẹli, wọ́n sì wa kiri. Wọ́n sì ri i ní ẹ̀gbẹ́ wọn. 5Ní ọjọ́ wọ̀n-ọn-nì ó léwu kí ènìyàn máa rìn ìrìnàjò kiri, nítorí tí gbogbo àwọn olùgbé ilẹ̀ náà wà nínú làálàá ńlá 6Orílẹ̀-èdè kan ń run èkejì àti ìlú kan sí òmíràn nítorí Ọlọ́run ń yọ wọ́n lẹ́nu pẹ̀lú oríṣìíríṣìí ìpọ́njú. 7Ṣùgbọ́n fun ìwọ, jẹ́ alágbára, kí ó má sì ṣe ṣàárẹ̀. Nítorí tí a ó fi èrè sí iṣẹ́ ẹ̀ rẹ.”
8Nígbà tí Asa gbọ́ ọ̀rọ̀ wọ̀nyí àti àsọtẹ́lẹ̀ Asariah ọmọ Odedi wòlíì, ó mú àyà rẹ̀ le. Ó sì mú gbogbo ohun ìríra kúrò ní gbogbo ilẹ̀ Juda àti Benjamini àti kúrò nínú àwọn ìlú tí ó ti fi agbára mú ní orí òkè Efraimu. Ó tún pẹpẹ Olúwa ṣe tí ó wà ní iwájú Pórífíkò ti ilé Olúwa.
9Nígbà naà, ó pe gbogbo Juda àti Benjamini jọ àti àwọn ènìyàn láti Efraimu, Manase àti Simeoni tí ó ti ṣe àtìpó ní àárín wọn. Nítorí ọ̀pọ̀ ènìyàn ti wá sí ọ̀dọ̀ rẹ̀ láti Israẹli nígbà tí wọ́n rí i wí pé Olúwa Ọlọ́run rẹ̀ wà pẹ̀lú rẹ̀.
10Wọ́n péjọ sí Jerusalẹmu ní oṣù kẹta ọdún kẹ́ẹ̀dógún ti ìjọba Asa. 11Ní àkókò yìí, wọ́n rú ẹbọ sí Olúwa ọgọ́rùn-ún méje akọ màlúù àti ẹ̀ẹ́dẹ́gbàárin (7,000) àgùntàn àti àwọn ewúrẹ́ láti ibi ìkógun tí wọ́n ti kó padà. 12Wọ́n sì tún dá májẹ̀mú láti wá Olúwa Ọlọ́run àwọn baba wọn tinútinú wọn àti tọkàntọkàn wọn. 13Pé ẹnikẹ́ni tí kò bá wá Olúwa Ọlọ́run Israẹli, pípa ni á ó pa á láti ẹni kékeré dé orí ẹni ńlá àti ọkùnrin àti obìnrin. 14Wọ́n sì búra ní ohùn rara fún Olúwa àti pẹ̀lú ìhó ńlá àti pẹ̀lú ìpè àti pẹ̀lú fèrè. 15Gbogbo Juda yọ̀ nípa ìbúra náà nítorí wọ́n ti búra tinútinú wọn wọ́n sì fi gbogbo ìfẹ́ inú wọn wá a, wọ́n sì rí i, Olúwa sì fún wọn ní ìsinmi yí káàkiri.
1615.16–16.6: 1Ọb 15.13-22.Ọba Asa sì mú Maaka ìyá ńlá rẹ̀ kúrò láti máa ṣe ayaba, nítorí tí ó yá ère kan fún Aṣerah òrìṣà rẹ̀. Asa sì ké ère náà lulẹ̀, ó sì jó o ní Àfonífojì Kidironi. 17Ṣùgbọ́n a kò mú àwọn ibi gíga náà kúrò ní Israẹli; síbẹ̀síbẹ̀ ọkàn Asa wà ní pípé ní ọjọ́ rẹ̀ gbogbo. 18Ó sì mú àwọn ohun mímọ́ náà ti baba rẹ̀ àti àwọn ohun mímọ́ ti òun tìkára rẹ̀ tirẹ̀ wá sínú ilé Ọlọ́run, wúrà àti fàdákà àti àwọn ohun èlò náà.
19Kò sí ogun mọ́ títí fún ọdún márùn-dínlógójì ti ìjọba Asa.
