2 Chronicles 15:11-19

15:11 At that time ¹  they sacrificed to the Lord some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep. ²  15:12 They solemnly agreed ³  to seek the Lord God of their ancestors ⁴  with their whole heart and being. 15:13 Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, ⁵  male or female. 15:14 They swore their allegiance to the Lord, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns. ⁶  15:15 All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the Lord and he responded to them. ⁷  He made them secure on every side. ⁸ 

15:16 King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother ⁹  from her position as queen mother ¹⁰  because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 15:17 The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. ¹¹  15:18 He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. ¹² 

Asa’s Failures

15:19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

[15:11]  ¹ tn Or “In that day.”

[15:11]  ² tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (tso’n) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but their is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.

[15:12]  ³ tn Heb “entered into a covenant.”

[15:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “fathers.”

[15:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “whether small or great.”

[15:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “with a loud voice and with a shout and with trumpets and with horns.”

[15:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “and with all their desire they sought him and he allowed himself to be found by them.”

[15:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the Lord gave them rest all around.”

[15:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses “father” and “mother” for grandparents and even more remote ancestors.

[15:16]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term גְּבִירָה (gÿvirah) can denote “queen” or “queen mother” depending on the context. Here the latter is indicated, since Maacah was the wife of Rehoboam and mother of Abijah.

[15:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “yet the heart of Asa was complete all his days.”

[15:18]  ¹² tn Heb “and he brought the holy things of his father and his holy things [into] the house of God, silver, gold, and items.”