you. Now for long seasons Israel hath been without the true
God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: but when in their
distress they turned unto the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him,
he was found by them. 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 lands. And they were broken in pieces,
nation against nation, and city against city: for God did vex them
with all adversity. But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack:
for your work shall be rewarded."

And 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 the Lord, that
was before the porch of the Lord. And he gathered all Judah and
Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and
Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they came to him out of Israel in
abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. So they
gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the
fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. And they sacrificed unto the Lord
in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen
and seven {250} thousand sheep. And they entered into the covenant to
seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with
all their soul; and that whosoever would not seek the Lord, the God of
Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or
woman. And they swore unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with
shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

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 by
them: and the Lord gave them rest round about. And also Maacah the
mother of Asa the king, he removed her 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. But the
high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart
of Asa was perfect all his days. 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. And there was no more war
unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.