II - Chapter 15

1The spirit of Hashem came upon Azarya son of Oded.

אוַעֲזַרְיָהוּ בֶּן־עוֹדֵד הָיְתָה עָלָיו רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים׃

2He came to Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Yehuda and Binyamin; Hashem is with you as long as you are with Him. If you turn to Him, He will respond to you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

בוַיֵּצֵא לִפְנֵי אָסָא וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ שְׁמָעוּנִי אָסָא וְכָל־יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן יְהֹוָה עִמָּכֶם בִּהְיוֹתְכֶם עִמּוֹ וְאִם־תִּדְרְשֻׁהוּ יִמָּצֵא לָכֶם וְאִם־תַּעַזְבֻהוּ יַעֲזֹב אֶתְכֶם׃

3Yisrael has gone many days without the true Hashem, without a Kohen to give instruction and without Teaching.

גוְיָמִים רַבִּים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְלֹא אֱלֹהֵי אֱמֶת וּלְלֹא כֹּהֵן מוֹרֶה וּלְלֹא תוֹרָה׃

4But in distress it returned to God of Yisrael, and sought Him, and He responded to them.

דוַיָּשָׁב בַּצַּר־לוֹ עַל־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיְבַקְשֻׁהוּ וַיִּמָּצֵא לָהֶם׃

5At those times, no wayfarer was safe, for there was much tumult among all the inhabitants of the lands.

הוּבָעִתִּים הָהֵם אֵין שָׁלוֹם לַיּוֹצֵא וְלַבָּא כִּי מְהוּמֹת רַבּוֹת עַל כָּל־יוֹשְׁבֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת׃

6Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for Hashem threw them into panic with every kind of trouble.

ווְכֻתְּתוּ גוֹי־בְּגוֹי וְעִיר בְּעִיר כִּי־אֱלֹהִים הֲמָמָם בְּכָל־צָרָה׃

7As for you, be strong, do not be disheartened, for there is reward for your labor.”

זוְאַתֶּם חִזְקוּ וְאַל־יִרְפּוּ יְדֵיכֶם כִּי יֵשׁ שָׂכָר לִפְעֻלַּתְכֶם׃

8When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the Navi, he took courage and removed the abominations from the entire land of Yehuda and Binyamin and from the cities that he had captured in the hill country of Efraim. He restored the mizbayach of Hashem in front of the porch of Hashem.

חוְכִשְׁמֹעַ אָסָא הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְהַנְּבוּאָה עֹדֵד הַנָּבִיא הִתְחַזַּק וַיַּעֲבֵר הַשִּׁקּוּצִים מִכָּל־אֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן וּמִן־הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר לָכַד מֵהַר אֶפְרָיִם וַיְחַדֵּשׁ אֶת־מִזְבַּח יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי אוּלָם יְהֹוָה׃

9He assembled all the people of Yehuda and Binyamin and those people of Efraim, Menashe, and Shimon who sojourned among them, for many in Yisrael had thrown in their lot with him when they saw that Hashem his God was with him.

טוַיִּקְבֹּץ אֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן וְהַגָּרִים עִמָּהֶם מֵאֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה וּמִשִּׁמְעוֹן כִּי־נָפְלוּ עָלָיו מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל לָרֹב בִּרְאֹתָם כִּי־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָיו עִמּוֹ׃

10They were assembled in Yerushalayim in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

יוַיִּקָּבְצוּ יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי לִשְׁנַת חֲמֵשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵה לְמַלְכוּת אָסָא׃

11They brought sacrifices to Hashem on that day; they brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep of the spoil.

יאוַיִּזְבְּחוּ לַיהֹוָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא מִן־הַשָּׁלָל הֵבִיאוּ בָּקָר שְׁבַע מֵאוֹת וְצֹאן שִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים׃

12They entered into a covenant to worship God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.

יבוַיָּבֹאוּ בַבְּרִית לִדְרוֹשׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם בְּכָל־לְבָבָם וּבְכָל־נַפְשָׁם׃

13Whoever would not worship God of Yisrael would be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

יגוְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִדְרֹשׁ לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל יוּמָת לְמִן־קָטֹן וְעַד־גָּדוֹל לְמֵאִישׁ וְעַד־אִשָּׁה׃

14So they took an oath to Hashem in a loud voice and with shouts, with trumpeting and blasts of the shofar.

ידוַיִּשָּׁבְעוּ לַיהֹוָה בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל וּבִתְרוּעָה וּבַחֲצֹצְרוֹת וּבְשׁוֹפָרוֹת׃

15All Yehuda rejoiced over the oath, for they swore with all their heart and sought Him with all their will. He responded to them and gave them respite on every side.

va-yis-m'-KHU khol y'-hu-DAH al ha-sh'-vu-AH KEE v'-khol l'-va-VAM nish-BA-u uv-khol r'-tzo-NAM bik-SHU-hu va-yi-ma-TZAY la-HEM va-YA-nakh a-do-NAI la-HEM mi-sa-VEEV

טווַיִּשְׂמְחוּ כָל־יְהוּדָה עַל־הַשְּׁבוּעָה כִּי בְכָל־לְבָבָם נִשְׁבָּעוּ וּבְכָל־רְצוֹנָם בִּקְשֻׁהוּ וַיִּמָּצֵא לָהֶם וַיָּנַח יְהֹוָה לָהֶם מִסָּבִיב׃

16He also deposed Maacah mother of King Asa from the rank of queen mother, because she had made an abominable thing for [the goddess] Asherah. Asa cut down her abominable thing, reduced it to dust, and burned it in the Wadi Kidron.

טזוְגַם־מַעֲכָה אֵם אָסָא הַמֶּלֶךְ הֱסִירָהּ מִגְּבִירָה אֲשֶׁר־עָשְׂתָה לַאֲשֵׁרָה מִפְלָצֶת וַיִּכְרֹת אָסָא אֶת־מִפְלַצְתָּהּ וַיָּדֶק וַיִּשְׂרֹף בְּנַחַל קִדְרוֹן׃

17The shrines, indeed, were not abolished in Yisrael; however, Asa was wholehearted [with Hashem] all his life.

יזוְהַבָּמוֹת לֹא־סָרוּ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל רַק לְבַב־אָסָא הָיָה שָׁלֵם כָּל־יָמָיו׃

18He brought into the House of Hashem the things that he and his father had consecrated—silver, gold, and utensils.

יחוַיָּבֵא אֶת־קָדְשֵׁי אָבִיו וְקָדָשָׁיו בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב וְכֵלִים׃

19There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

יטוּמִלְחָמָה לֹא הָיָתָה עַד שְׁנַת־שְׁלֹשִׁים וְחָמֵשׁ לְמַלְכוּת אָסָא׃