Asa's Reforms
1 The spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, 2 and he went to meet King Asa. He called out, “Listen to me, King Asa, and all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you as long as you are with him. If you look for him, he will let you find him, but if you turn away, he will abandon you. 3 For a long time Israel lived without the true God, without priests to teach them, and without a law. 4 But when trouble came, they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel. They searched for him and found him. 5 In those days no one could come and go in safety, because there was trouble and disorder in every land. 6 One nation oppressed another nation, and one city oppressed another city, because God was bringing trouble and distress on them. 7 But you must be strong and not be discouraged. The work that you do will be rewarded.”
8 When Asa heard the prophecy that Azariah son of Oded had spoken, he was encouraged. He did away with all the idols in the land of Judah and Benjamin and all the idols in the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He also repaired the altar of the Lord that stood in the Temple courtyard.
9 Many people had come over to Asa's side from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, and were living in his kingdom, because they had seen that the Lord was with him. Asa summoned all of them and the people of Judah and Benjamin. 10 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year that Asa was king. 11 On that day they offered sacrifices to the Lord from the loot they had brought back: seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep. 12 They made a covenant in which they agreed to worship the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. 13 Anyone, young or old, male or female, who did not worship him was to be put to death. 14 In a loud voice they took an oath in the Lord's name that they would keep the covenant, and then they shouted and blew trumpets. 15 All the people of Judah were happy because they had made this covenant with all their heart. They took delight in worshiping the Lord, and he accepted them and gave them peace on every side.
16 King Asa removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made an obscene idol of the fertility goddess Asherah. Asa cut down the idol, chopped it up, and burned the pieces in Kidron Valley. 17 Even though Asa did not destroy all the pagan places of worship in the land, he remained faithful to the Lord all his life. 18 He placed in the Temple all the objects his father Abijah had dedicated to God, as well as the gold and silver objects that he himself dedicated. 19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of his reign.
Asa ta xulifa po oikalunga
1 Opo nee Omhepo yaKalunga ye uya kuAsaria yaOded; 2 nokwa fikama a ka shakeneke Asa ndele ta ti kuye: “Pwilikinei nge, Asa nOvajuda nOvabenjamin aveshe! Omwene ota kala pamwe nanye, ngeenge tamu kala pamwe naye, ndele ngeenge tamu mu kongo, otamu ke mu mona. Ndelenee ngeenge tamu mu efa, naye yo ote ke mu efa. 3 Efimbo lile Ovaisraeli va li vehe na Kalunga kashili, vehe nomupristeli ta longo, kave nomhango. 4 Ndelenee moudjuu wavo eshi va shuna kOmwene Kalunga kaIsrael, ndele ve mu konga, Ye okwe ve lihololela. 5 Pomafiku enya kakwa li ku nombili yeendafano noyokupita mo noyokuuya mo, shaashi ovanhu aveshe voilongo va hangika komalimbililo manene. 6 Noshiwana she lidenga noshiwana, oshilando noshilando, osheshi Kalunga e va limbilika eshi e va tumina omaudjuu e lili nae lili. 7 Ndelenee nye kaleni mwa pama, omake eni aha tyololoke, osheshi oshilonga sheni shi nondjabi.” 8 Ndele Asa eshi a uda eendjovo edi nexunganeko laAsaria yaOded, ye e di popya, okwe liladipaleka nokwa hanauna po oitondifa yomoshilongo ashishe shaJuda noshaBenjamin nomoilando oyo yokeemhunda daEfraim, ye e i nangala. Noaltari yOmwene oyo ya li komesho yolupale, okwe i tungulula. 9 Opo nee ye a ongela Ovajuda aveshe nOvabenjamin, novanailongo yo vomuEfraim novomuManasse novomuSimeon, ovo va li puvo. Osheshi vahapu va dja mo muIsrael ve uya kuye eshi va mona nokutya, Omwene Kalunga okwa li pamwe naye. 10 Ndele ova ongala muJerusalem mohani onhinhatu momudo omutimulongo nanhano womepangelo laAsa, 11 ndele mefiku tuu olo va yambela Omwene eengobe omafele aheyali needi omayovi aheyali domoixuulwa oyo ve i kwata. 12 Ndele va ninga ehangano nokutya, va konge Omwene Kalunga kooxe nomitima davo adishe neemwenyo davo adishe. 13 Ndele keshe ou ita kongo Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael, ota ka dipawa, okaana ile omukulunhu, omulumenhu ile omukainhu. 14 Ndele va anena Omwene nondaka inene nokukuwilila nokushika omanghuma oshikushu nomanghuma eembinga. 15 NOvajuda aveshe va shambukwa keemwenyo omolweano, osheshi va ana nomitima davo adishe ndele va konga Omwene nehalo lavo alishe. Ndele Ye okwe ve lihololela, nOmwene e va pa etulumuko keembinga adishe. 16 Heeno, ohamba Asa ya kufa ina Maaka ouhamba, osheshi ye okwa dikila Asera oshitondifa. Ndele Asa okwa ka po oshitondifa, nokwe shi xwandaula nokwe shi xwika po mefilu laKidron. 17 Oikulundu yokuyambela yomuIsrael inai xula po, ndelenee omutima waAsa wa li inau tukauka pomafiku aye aeshe. 18 Nokwa twala mongulu yaKalunga eeshali daxe diyapuki neeshali daye mwene diyapuki: oisiliveli noingoldo noinima i lili nai lili. 19 Ndele inapa kala vali oita fiyo okomudo omutimilongo nhatu nomutitano wepangelo laAsa.
