Old/New Testament
Asa Makes Changes
15 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. 2 Azariah went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you look for Him, He will let you find Him. But if you leave Him, He will leave you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching religious leader, and without law. 4 But in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel. They looked for Him, and He let them find Him. 5 In those times there was no peace for him who went out, or for him who came in. For much trouble came to all the people of the lands. 6 Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God sent every kind of trouble upon them. 7 But you be strong. Do not lose strength of heart. For you will be paid for your work.”
8 When Asa heard these words and the words of Azariah the son of Oded, his heart became strong. He put away the sinful false gods from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim. He built again the altar of the Lord which was in front of the porch of the Lord’s house. 9 Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, who lived with them. For many had left Israel to come to him when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s rule. 11 They killed animals on the altar in worship to the Lord that day. They killed and gave 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep from the animals they had taken in battle. 12 And they agreed to follow the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul. 13 Whoever would not follow the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, young or old, man or woman. 14 They made a promise to the Lord with a loud voice, calling out and blowing horns. 15 All Judah was filled with joy because of the promise. For they had promised with their whole heart. They had looked for the Lord with a pure heart. And He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.
16 King Asa even stopped his mother from being queen mother. Because she had made a sinful object of the false goddess Asherah. Asa cut down her sinful object. He crushed it and burned it at the Kidron River. 17 But the high places were not taken away from Israel. Yet Asa’s heart was without blame all his days. 18 He brought into the house of God the holy things of his father and his own holy things. He brought in silver and gold and the things used for the worship. 19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s rule.
Asa’s Agreement with Syria
16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s rule, King Baasha of Israel came to fight against Judah. He began building a wall around Ramah to stop anyone from going out or coming in to King Asa of Judah. 2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the store-rooms of the house of the Lord and the king’s house. He sent them to King Ben-hadad of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “Let there be an agreement between you and me, as between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Go and break your agreement with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me.” 4 Ben-hadad listened to King Asa. He sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They destroyed Ijon, Dan, Abelmaim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard about it, he stopped building the wall around Ramah. 6 Then King Asa brought all the people of Judah. And they carried away the stones and wood of the wall which Baasha had been building around Ramah. Asa used them to build Geba and Mizpah.
Hanani’s Words to Asa
7 At that time Hanani the man of God came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “You have put your trust in the king of Syria and not in the Lord your God. So the army of the king of Syria got away from you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a very large army with war-wagons? But because you trusted in the Lord, He gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord move over all the earth so that He may give strength to those whose whole heart is given to Him. You have done a foolish thing. So from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the man of God. He put him in prison because he was angry at him for this. And Asa made it hard for some of the people at the same time.
The End of Asa’s Rule
11 Now the acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 A disease came into Asa’s feet in the thirty-ninth year of his rule. His disease was bad. But even in his disease, he did not trust in the Lord, but in the doctors. 13 So Asa slept with his fathers. He died in the forty-first year of his rule. 14 They buried him in his own grave which he had cut out for himself in the city of David. They laid him in the place of rest which he had filled with different kinds of spices mixed by those who work with perfumes. And they made a very big fire in his honor.
27 “Now My soul is troubled. Should I say, ‘Father, save Me from this time of trouble and pain’? No, this is why I came to this time. 28 Father, honor Your name!”
The People Hear the Voice of God
Then a voice from heaven came, saying, “I have already honored My name. I will honor it again!” 29 The people heard the voice. Some who stood there said, “It was thunder.” Others said, “An angel spoke to Him.” 30 Jesus said, “The voice did not come for Me, but it came to be a help to you.
Jesus Tells How He Will Die
31 “Now this world is being told it is guilty. Now the leader of this world will be thrown out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will attract all people toward Me.” 33 He said this to tell the kind of death He was going to die.
34 The people said to Him, “The Law of Moses says that the Christ is to live forever. Why do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
35 Jesus said to them, “The Light will be with you for a little while yet. Go on your way while you have the Light so you will not be in the dark. When a man is walking in the dark, he does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the Light, put your trust in the Light. Then you will be the sons of the Light.” Jesus said these things and then went away. He hid Himself from them.
The People Do Not Believe
37 Jesus had done many powerful works in front of them, but they did not put their trust in Him. 38 This happened as the words of the early preacher Isaiah said it would happen. He had said, “Lord, has anyone believed our preaching? Has the Lord shown His power to anyone?” 39 The reason they could not believe is written again in Isaiah. 40 It says, “He has blinded their eyes and made their hearts hard. Then they would not see with their eyes. They would not understand with their heart. They would not turn to Me. I could not heal them.” (A) 41 This is what Isaiah said when he saw the shining-greatness of Jesus and spoke of Him.
42 Even among the leaders of the people there were many who believed in Jesus. But because of the proud religious law-keepers, they did not tell about it. If they had, they would have been put out of the Jewish place of worship. 43 They loved to have the respect from men more than honor from God.
Jesus and His Father Are One
44 Then Jesus spoke with a loud voice, “Anyone who puts his trust in Me, puts his trust not only in Me, but in Him Who sent Me. 45 Anyone who sees Me, sees Him Who sent Me. 46 I came to the world to be a Light. Anyone who puts his trust in Me will not be in darkness. 47 If anyone hears My Words but does not believe them, I do not say he is guilty. I did not come to say the world is guilty. I came to save the world from the punishment of sin. 48 Anyone who does not receive Me and does not receive My teaching has One Who will say he is guilty. The Word that I have spoken will say he is guilty on the last day. 49 I have not spoken by My own power. The Father Who sent Me has told Me what to say and speak. 50 I know that His Word is life that lasts forever. I speak the things the Father has told Me to speak.”
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.