2 Chronicles 15:1-8

1God's Spirit came to Oded's son Azariah.

2Azariah went to meet King Asa. He said to him, ‘Listen to me Asa and all you people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The Lord will be with you while you are faithful to him. If you ask him for help, he will answer you. But if you turn away from him, he will turn away from you.

3For a long time, the Israelites did not serve the true God. They did not have any priests to teach them what was right. They did not know God's law.

4But when they were in trouble, they turned to the Lord, Israel's God. They asked him to help them and he answered them.

5At that time it was not safe to travel very far. There was too much trouble among the people of other countries.

6One nation would attack and destroy another nation. The people of one city destroyed other cities. God caused all this trouble to happen to those people.

7But you must be strong. Continue to be brave. God will make your work successful.’

8Asa felt strong again when he heard God's message from Azariah, son of the prophet Oded. He removed the disgusting idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin. He also removed them from the towns that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim. He repaired the Lord's altar that was in the yard at the front of the Lord's temple.