2 Chronicles Chapter 15
Showing all 19 verses for 2 Chronicles Chapter 15.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: "
"The Spirit of God came upon Azariah, son of Oded."
I often speak most clearly through people willing to say a hard, honest word at the right moment - be open to hearing truth from unexpected voices in your own life. And if you're the one with something honest to say, don't hold back out of fear.
"And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. "
"He went out to meet Asa and said, "Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you as long as you are with him. If you seek him, he'll be found by you; but if you abandon him, he'll abandon you.""
Relationships - with me, with people, with your own values - work the same way: what you put in, you tend to get back. I'm never far from anyone who's actually looking for me, but I won't force myself on someone who's turned away.
"Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. "
""For a long time, Israel was without the true God, without a priest who could teach them, and without the law.""
A life or a society without any clear moral compass or trustworthy guide tends to drift into confusion, even if nobody planned for that to happen. Seek out good teaching and wise voices - don't assume you'll find your way without them.
"But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. "
""But when they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, in their distress and sought him, he was found by them.""
It's never too late to turn back to what matters, no matter how far you've drifted or how long it's been. I don't hold your absence against you when you finally come looking.
"And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. "
""In those times there was no safety for anyone travelling out or coming in, because great troubles afflicted all the people of the surrounding lands.""
When a community or a life loses its sense of shared values, the effects aren't abstract - they show up as genuine fear and instability in everyday moments. Building trust and order isn't a luxury; it's what makes ordinary life liveable.
"And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity. "
""Nation was crushed by nation, city by city, because God troubled them with every kind of hardship.""
Conflict tends to multiply when nobody's anchored to something bigger than their own immediate interest. If you want less chaos around you, start by anchoring your own life to something trustworthy and consistent.
"Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. "
""But you - be strong, and don't let your hands grow weak, because your work will be rewarded.""
Don't let discouragement or fatigue stop you from doing the right, hard work in front of you - what you build faithfully doesn't go unnoticed or unrewarded, even if the payoff isn't immediate. Keep your hands strong for the good work you've already started.
"And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD. "
"When Asa heard these words and Oded's prophecy, he took courage and removed the disgusting idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities he'd captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He also repaired the LORD's altar in front of the temple porch."
When someone offers you honest, well-meant correction, the mature response is to take courage and act, not to get defensive. I honour people who let truth change their direction rather than just their feelings.
"And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. "
"He gathered all of Judah and Benjamin, plus the people from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were living among them as foreigners - because large numbers had defected to him from Israel once they saw that the LORD his God was with him."
Living with integrity naturally draws people towards you over time - you don't need to chase approval or recruit followers if what you're doing is genuinely good. Let your life speak for itself, and trust that the right people will notice.
"So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. "
"So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa's reign."
Committing to something meaningful often benefits from marking it clearly - a specific day, a specific decision point you can look back on. Give your own turning points a clear "here's when I decided" moment.
"And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. "
"At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from the plunder they had brought back."
When good things come your way, consider what portion of that blessing you can give back or forward to others, rather than keeping it all for yourself. Gratitude that costs you something means more than gratitude that costs nothing.
"And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; "
"They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and all their soul."
Making a commitment out loud, with others who can hold you to it, tends to be far more powerful than a private, unspoken resolution. Don't be afraid to declare what you're committing to in front of people who care about you.
"That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. "
"Anyone who refused to seek the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death - whether young or old, man or woman."
I never ask you to force belief onto anyone, or to threaten people into faith - real devotion has to be free, or it isn't real devotion at all. Notice the difference between inviting someone towards what's good and coercing them; I only ever do the first.
"And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. "
"They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice, shouting, and with trumpets and horns."
Real commitment sometimes deserves to be loud and celebrated, not just solemn and quiet - don't be embarrassed to mark a genuine turning point in your life with real joy. Let your good decisions be visible, not just internal.
"And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about. "
"All Judah rejoiced over the oath, because they had sworn it wholeheartedly and sought God with their whole desire - and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around."
Genuine, wholehearted commitment - to a relationship, a goal, a change in your life - tends to bring real joy, not just relief, because you're not fighting yourself anymore. Half-hearted commitments rarely deliver that same peace.
"And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. "
"Asa also removed his grandmother Maachah from her position as queen mother, because she had made an obscene idol for an Asherah grove. Asa cut down her idol, crushed it, and burned it at the Kidron valley."
Real integrity means holding the people closest to you - even family - to the same standard you hold everyone else to, rather than making convenient exceptions. Love someone honestly enough to not excuse what genuinely needs to change.
"But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days. "
"But the high places weren't removed from Israel; nevertheless, Asa's heart remained fully devoted all his days."
You don't have to achieve perfect, total change to have a genuinely devoted heart - I look at your sincerity and direction, not whether you've eliminated every flaw. Don't let an unfinished project convince you your effort didn't count.
"And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels. "
"He brought into God's temple the things his father had dedicated, along with what he himself had dedicated - silver, gold, and various vessels."
You can honour what was good in the generation before you while still improving on what wasn't - it doesn't have to be all rejection or all inheritance. Build on the good foundations you're given, and fix the rest.
"And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa. "
"And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign."
The benefits of genuine commitment and integrity often aren't instant fireworks - they're the long, quiet stretch of stability that follows, sometimes for years. Value the long calm as much as the dramatic turning point that led to it.