2 Chronicles 15

The Prophecy of Oded

1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

2 and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all

Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him;

and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him,

he will forsake you.

3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God,

and without a teaching priest, and without law.

4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel,

and sought him, he was found of them.

5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that

came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.

6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city:

for God did vex them with all adversity.

7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak:

for your work shall be rewarded.

8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet,

he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land

of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from

mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD,

that was before the porch of the LORD.

9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them

out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out

of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month,

in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11 And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they

had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers

with all their heart and with all their soul;

13 that whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to

death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14 And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting,

and with trumpets, and with cornets.

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 of them:

and the LORD gave them rest round about.

16 And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her

from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down

her idol, and stamped it, and burnt 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 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.

19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth

year of the reign of Asa.



2 Chronicles 16:1-10



Asa's Last Years



(1Ki 15:17-24)



1 (2Ch 15:9) But in the 36th year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel

went up against Judah and built Ramah and did not allow anyone to come

in or go out to Asa king of Judah.

2 Then Asa removed silver and gold from the storehouses

of the house of the Lord and palace of the king,

and he sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram in Syria, who lived in Damascus,

saying,

3 "There is a covenant between me and you as between my father

and your father. I am sending you silver and gold.

Go and break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel so that he might

leave me."

4 And Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa, and he sent the commanders of

his armies against the cities of Israel. They struck down Ijon, Dan,

Abel Maim, and all the depot cities of Naphtali.

5 And it happened when Baasha heard this, that he stopped building Ramah

and he ceased his work.

6 Then King Asa took all of Judah, and they took the stones of Ramah

and its timber that Baasha had used to build, and he built with them Geba

and Mizpah.

7 (1Ki 16:1; 2Ch 19:2) And at that time Hanani the seer came

to King Asa of Judah saying, "Because you depended on the king of Aram

and did not depend on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king

of Aram escaped from your hand.

8 (2Ch 12:3; 13:16) Were not the Cushites and Libyans a very large army

with chariots and horses, but when you depended on the Lord,

He gave them to your hand.

9 (Pr 15:3; Zec 4:10) For the eyes of the Lord move about on all the earth

to strengthen the heart that is completely toward Him.

You have acted foolishly in this, and from this point forward

you will have wars."

10 (2Ch 18:26) Then Asa was angry with the seer and placed him in prison

stocks, for he was enraged by these words. Asa even oppressed

some of the people during this time.



1 In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came

up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out

or come in to Asa king of Judah.

2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of

the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that

dwelt at Damascus, saying,

3 There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and

thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league

with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

4 And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies

against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim,

and all the store cities of Naphtali.

5 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building

of Ramah, and let his work cease.

6 Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah,

and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith

Geba and Mizpah.

7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto

him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD

thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.

8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots

and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into

thine hand.

9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew

himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt

have wars.

10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house;

for he was in a rage with him because of this thing.

And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.



2 Chronicles 16:11-14



The Death of Asa



11 The events of Asa from beginning to end are written

in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

12 (Jer 17:5) In the 39th year of the reign of Asa, he had a sickness

in his feet until his sickness became grave.

Even in his disease he did not seek after the Lord, but the physicians.

13 So Asa slept with his fathers; he died in the 41st year of his reign.

14 (Ge 50:2; 2Ch 21:19) And they buried him in the tomb

that he cut for himself in the City of David.

And they placed him on a place filled with all types of spices mixed

with ointments, and then they burned him up with a very great conflagration.



11 And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written

in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet,

until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to

the LORD, but to the physicians.

13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year

of his reign.

14 And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself

in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet

odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art:

and they made a very great burning for him.