2 Cronache 15

1Allora lo spirito di Dio s’impadronì di Azaria, figliuolo di Oded, 2il quale uscì ad incontrare Asa, e gli disse: "Asa, e voi tutto Giuda e Beniamino, ascoltatemi! L’Eterno è con voi, quando voi siete con lui; se lo cercate, egli si farà trovare da voi; ma, se lo abbandonate, egli vi abbandonerà. 3Per lungo tempo Israele è stato senza vero Dio, senza sacerdote che lo ammaestrasse, e senza legge; 4ma nella sua distretta ei s’è convertito all’Eterno, all’Iddio d’Israele, l’ha cercato, ed egli s’è lasciato trovare da lui. 5In quel tempo, non v’era pace né per chi andava né per chi veniva; perché fra tutti gli abitanti de’ vari paesi v’erano grandi agitazioni, 6ed essi erano schiacciati nazione da nazione, e città da città; poiché Iddio li conturbava con ogni sorta di tribolazioni. 7Ma voi, siate forti, non vi lasciate illanguidire le braccia, perché l’opera vostra avrà la sua mercede". 8Quando Asa ebbe udite queste parole, e la profezia del profeta Oded, prese animo, e fece sparire le abominazioni da tutto il paese di Giuda e di Beniamino, e dalle città che avea prese nella contrada montuosa d’Efraim; e ristabilì l’altare dell’Eterno, ch’era davanti al portico dell’Eterno. 9Poi radunò tutto Giuda e Beniamino, e quelli di Efraim, di Manasse e di Simeone, che dimoravano fra loro; giacché gran numero di quei d’Israele eran passati dalla sua parte, vedendo che l’Eterno, il suo Dio, era con lui. 10Essi dunque si radunarono a Gerusalemme il terzo mese del quindicesimo anno del regno d’Asa. 11E in quel giorno offrirono in sacrifizio all’Eterno, della preda che avean portata, settecento buoi e settemila pecore; 12e convennero nel patto di cercare l’Eterno, l’Iddio dei loro padri, con tutto il loro cuore e con tutta l’anima loro; 13e chiunque non cercasse l’Eterno, l’Iddio d’Israele, doveva esser messo a morte, grande o piccolo che fosse, uomo o donna. 14E si unirono per giuramento all’Eterno con gran voce e con acclamazioni, al suon delle trombe e dei corni. 15Tutto Giuda si rallegrò di questo giuramento; perché avean giurato di tutto cuore, avean cercato l’Eterno con grande ardore ed egli s’era lasciato trovare da loro. E l’Eterno diede loro requie d’ogn’intorno. 16Il re Asa destituì pure dalla dignità di regina sua madre Maaca, perch’essa avea rizzato un’immagine ad Astarte; e Asa abbatté l’immagine, la fece a pezzi e la bruciò presso al torrente Kidron. 17Nondimeno, gli alti luoghi non furono eliminati da Israele; quantunque il cuore d’Asa fosse integro, durante l’intera sua vita. 18Egli fece portare nella casa dell’Eterno le cose che suo padre avea consacrate, e quelle che avea consacrate egli stesso: argento, oro, vasi. 19E non ci fu più guerra alcuna fino al trentacinquesimo anno del regno di Asa.

1The Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded: 2and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Hear 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 by you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. 4But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. 5In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands. 6They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity. 7But you be strong, and don’t let your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded.” 8When 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. 9He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who lived 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. 10So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11They sacrificed to Yahweh in that day, of the plunder which they had brought, seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep. 12They entered into the covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul; 13and that whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. 14They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. 15All 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 all around. 16Also 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. 17But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. 18He brought into God’s house the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels. 19There was no more war to the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

1Toen kwam de Geest Gods op Azaria, den zoon van Oded. 2En hij ging uit, Asa tegen, en hij zeide tot hem: Hoort mij, Asa, en gans Juda, en Benjamin! De HEERE is met ulieden, terwijl gij met Hem zijt; en zo gij Hem zoekt, Hij zal van u gevonden worden; maar zo gij Hem verlaat, Hij zal u verlaten. 3Israel nu is vele dagen geweest zonder den waren God, en zonder een lerenden priester, en zonder de wet. 4Maar als zij zich in hun nood bekeerden tot den HEERE, den God Israels, en Hem zochten, zo werd Hij van hen gevonden. 5En in die tijden was er geen vrede voor dengene, die uitging, en dengene, die inkwam; maar vele beroerten waren over al de inwoners van die landen; 6Dat volk tegen volk, en stad tegen stad in stukken gestoten werden; want God had hen met allen angst verschrikt. 7Daarom weest gij sterk, en laat uw handen niet verslappen; want er is loon naar uw werk. 8Als nu Asa deze woorden hoorde, en de profetie van den profeet Oded, sterkte hij zich, en hij deed weg de verfoeiselen uit het ganse land van Juda en Benjamin, en uit de steden, die hij van het gebergte van Efraim genomen had, en vernieuwde het altaar des HEEREN, dat voor het voorhuis des HEEREN was. 9En hij vergaderde het ganse Juda en Benjamin, en de vreemdelingen met hen uit Efraim, en Manasse, en uit Simeon; want uit Israel vielen zij tot hem in menigte, als zij zagen, dat de HEERE, zijn God, met hem was. 10En zij vergaderden zich te Jeruzalem, in de derde maand, in het vijftiende jaar van het koninkrijk van Asa. 11En zij offerden den HEERE ten zelfden dage van den roof, dien zij gebracht hadden, zevenhonderd runderen en zeven duizend schapen. 12En zij traden in een verbond, dat zij den HEERE, den God hunner vaderen, zoeken zouden met hun ganse hart en met hun ganse ziel. 13En al wie den HEERE, den God Israels, niet zou zoeken, zou gedood worden, van den kleine tot den grote, en van den man tot de vrouw toe. 14En zij zwoeren den HEERE met luider stem en met gejuich, desgelijks met trompetten en met bazuinen. 15En gans Juda was verblijd over dezen eed; want zij hadden met hun ganse hart gezworen, en met hun gansen wil Hem gezocht; en Hij werd van hen gevonden, en de HEERE gaf hun rust rondom henen. 16Aangaande ook Maacha, de moeder van den koning Asa, hij zette haar af, dat zij geen koningin ware, omdat zij een afgrijselijken afgod in een bos gemaakt had; ook roeide Asa haar afgrijselijken afgod uit, en verbrijzelde en verbrandde hem aan de beek Kidron. 17De hoogten werden wel niet weggenomen uit Israel, het hart van Asa nochtans was volkomen al zijn dagen. 18En hij bracht in het huis Gods de geheiligde dingen zijns vaders, en zijn geheiligde dingen, zilver en goud, en vaten. 19En er was geen oorlog tot in het vijf en dertigste jaar van het koninkrijk van Asa.