Guds Ånd kom over Asarja, sønn av Oded:

The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded:

han gikk ut for å møte Asa og sa til ham: Hør meg, Asa og hele Juda og Benjamin: Herren er med dere så lenge dere er med ham; hvis dere søker ham, vil han la seg finne av dere. Men hvis dere forlater ham, vil han forlate dere.

and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, Hear you me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh 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.

I lang tid var Israel uten den sanne Gud, uten en lærende prest og uten lov.

Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law:

Men i sin nød vendte de seg til Herren, Israels Gud, og søkte ham, og han lot seg finne av dem.

But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

I de tider var det ingen fred for dem som gikk ut eller kom inn, men stor uro blant alle landets innbyggere.

In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great vexations were on all the inhabitants of the lands.

De ble knust, folk mot folk, by mot by; for Gud forstyrret dem med all slags trengsel.

They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity.

Men vær sterke, og la ikke hendene synke; for arbeidet skal belønnes.

But be you strong, and don't let your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded.

Da Asa hørte disse ordene og profetien til profeten Oded, tok han mot til seg og fjernet avskyelighetene fra hele Juda og Benjamin og fra byene han hadde erobret fra fjellandet Efraim; og han gjenreiste Herrens alter som sto foran Herrens forhall.

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 Yahweh, that was before the porch of Yahweh.

Han samlet hele Juda og Benjamin, og de som bodde med dem fra Efraim og Manasse og Simeon; for de hadde sluttet seg til ham fra Israel i stor mengde da de så at Herren hans Gud var med ham.

He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who sojourned 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 Yahweh his God was with him.

Så samlet de seg i Jerusalem i den tredje måneden, i det femtende året av Asas regjering.

So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

De ofret til Herren den dagen, av byttet de hadde brakt, syv hundre okser og syv tusen sauer.

They sacrificed to Yahweh in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

De inngikk en pakt om å søke Herren, deres fedres Gud, av hele sitt hjerte og hele sin sjel;

They entered into the covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;

og at hver den som ikke søkte Herren, Israels Gud, skulle dø, enten liten eller stor, mann eller kvinne.

and that whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

De sverget til Herren med høy røst, med rop og med trompeter og horn.

They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

Hele Juda gledet seg over eden; for de hadde sverget av hele sitt hjerte, og søkt ham med hele sin lyst; og han lot seg finne av dem, og Herren ga dem hvile på alle kanter.

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 Yahweh gave them rest round about.

Også Maaka, kong Asa's mor, fjernet han fra dronningverdigheten fordi hun hadde laget et avskyelig bilde for en Asjera. Asa hogg ned hennes bilde, knuste det til støv og brente det ved Kidronbekken.

Also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed 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.

Men offerhaugene ble ikke fjernet fra Israel; likevel var Asas hjerte fullkomment alle hans dager.

But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

Han brakte inn i Guds hus de ting hans far hadde helliget, og som han selv hadde helliget, sølv, gull og kar.

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.

Det var ikke mer krig før i det femtifemte året av Asas regjering.

There was no more war to the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.