1. The Spirit of God entered Azariah son of Oded.
2. Azariah went to meet Asa. Azariah said, “Listen to me, Asa and all you people of Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you obey the Lord, you will find him. But if you leave him, he will leave you.
3. For a long time Israel was without the true God. And they were without a priest to teach them and without the teachings.
4. But when they were in trouble, they turned to the Lord again. He is the God of Israel. They looked for the Lord and found him.
5. In those days no one could travel safely. There was much trouble in all the nations.
6. One nation would destroy another nation. And one city would destroy another city. This happened because God troubled them with all kinds of trouble.
7. But you should be strong. Don’t give up, because you will get a reward for your good work.”
8. Asa felt brave when he heard these words and the message from Azariah. Azariah was the son of Oded the prophet. So he removed the hated idols from all of Judah and Benjamin. And he removed them from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the Lord’s altar that was in front of the porch of the Temple of the Lord.