13. All those who wouldn't look to the Lord, the God of Israel, would be killed. It wouldn't matter how important they were. It wouldn't matter whether they were men or women.
14. They took an oath and made a promise to the Lord. They praised him out loud. They shouted. They blew trumpets and horns.
15. All of the people of Judah were happy about the promise they had made. They turned to God with all their heart. When they did, they found him. So the Lord gave them peace and rest on every side.
16. King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother. That's because she had made a pole that was used to worship the goddess Asherah. The Lord hated it. So Asa cut it down. He broke it up. He burned it in the Kidron Valley.
17. Asa didn't remove the high places from Israel. But he committed his whole life completely to the Lord.
18. He and his father had set apart silver, gold and other articles to the Lord. He brought them into God's temple.