The Daily Audio Bible
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14 So, Abijah slept with his fathers. And they buried him in the City of David. And Asa, his son, reigned in his place (in whose days the land was quiet for ten years).
2 And Asa did what was good and right in the Eyes of the LORD his God.
3 For he took away the altars of the strange, and the high places, and broke down the images, and cut down the groves,
4 and commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do according to the Law and the Commandment.
5 And he took away the high places out of all the cities of Judah, and the images. Therefore, the kingdom was quiet before him.
6 Also, because the land was at rest, he had built strong cities in Judah. And he had no war in those years. For the LORD had given him rest.
7 Therefore, he said to Judah, “Because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought Him and He has given us rest on every side, let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers and gates and bars, while the land is before us.” So, they built and prospered.
8 And of Judah, Asa had an army of three hundred thousand who bore shields and spears, and two hundred eighty thousand of Benjamin who bore shields and drew bows. All these were valiant men.
9 And Zerah of Ethiopia came out against him with an army of one million, and three hundred chariots, and came to Mareshah.
10 Then Asa went out before him. And they set the battle in formation in the Valley of Zephathah, beside Mareshah.
11 And Asa cried to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing with You to help with many or with the powerless! Help us, O LORD our God! For we rest on You! And in Your Name we have come against this multitude! O LORD, You are our God! Do not let man prevail against You!”
12 So, the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah. And the Ethiopians fled.
13 And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. And the Ethiopians’ army was overthrown. There was no life in them; for they were destroyed before the LORD and before His host. And they carried away a mighty, great spoil.
14 And they struck all the cities all around Gerar. For the fear of the LORD came upon them. And they plundered all the cities; for there was much plunder in them.
15 Yea, and they struck the tents of cattle and carried away plenty of sheep and camels and returned to Jerusalem.
15 Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Obed.
2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “O, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, hear me! The LORD is with you while you are with him. And if you seek Him, He will be found by you. But if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
3 “Now for a long season, Israel has been without the true God, and without priest to teach, and without Law.
4 “But whoever returned in his affliction to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, he was found by Him.
5 “And in that time there was no peace to him who went out and went in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the Earth.
6 “For nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city. For God troubled them with all adversity.
7 “Be strong, therefore! And do not let your hands be weak. For your work shall have a reward.”
8 And when Asa heard these Words, and the Prophecy of Obed the Prophet, he was encouraged and took away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken on Mount Ephraim. And he renewed the Altar of the LORD that was in front of the Porch of the LORD.
9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon. For many fell to him out of Israel, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
10 So, they assembled to Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And at that time, they offered to the LORD from the spoil they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 And they made a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.
13 And whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel shall be killed, whether small or great, man or woman.
14 And they swore to the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn to the LORD with all their heart and sought Him with a whole desire. And He was found by them. And the LORD gave them rest all around.
16 And King Asa deposed Maachah, his mother, from her regency, because she had made an idol in a grove. And Asa broke down her idol and stamped it and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel. Still, the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 Also, he brought the things that his father had dedicated, and that he had dedicated, into the House of God: silver and gold and vessels.
19 And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.
16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha, king of Israel, came up against Judah and built Ramah, to keep anyone from passing through to or out from Asa, king of Judah.
2 Then, Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasures of the House of the LORD, and from the king’s house, and sent to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, who dwelt at Damascus, saying,
3 “There is a covenant between me and you, and between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold. Come. Break your treaty with Baasha, king of Israel, so that he may depart from me.”
4 And Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the captains of the army which he had against the cities of Israel. And they struck Ijon and Dan and Abel Maim and all the storage cities of Naphtali.
5 And when Baasha heard it, he stopped the building of Ramah, and let his work cease.
6 Then, Asa the king took all Judah and carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber (with which Baasha built) and he built Geba and Mizpah with it.
7 And at that same time, Hanani the Seer came to Asa, king of Judah, and said to him, “Because you have rested upon the king of Aram and not rested in the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand.
8 “The Ethiopians and the Lubim, were they not a great army with a large number of chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you rested upon the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.
9 “For the Eyes of the LORD behold all the Earth, to show Himself strong with those who are of a perfect heart toward Him. You, then, have done foolishly in this. Therefore, henceforth you shall have wars.”
10 Then Asa was angry with the Seer and put him into a prison, for he was displeased with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed the people at that time.
11 And behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
12 And Asa, in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, became diseased in his feet. His disease was extreme, yet he did not seek the LORD in his disease, but the physicians.
13 So, Asa slept with his fathers and died in the forty-first year of his reign.
14 And they buried him in one of his sepulchers which he had made for himself in the City of David and laid him in the bed which they had filled with sweet odors and diverse kinds of spices made by the art of the apothecary. And they burnt odors for him with an exceedingly great fire.
9 I say the truth in Christ. I do not lie; my conscience bearing me witness in the holy Ghost,
2 so that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 For I could wish myself to be accursed, to be separated from Christ, for my brothers who are my kinsmen according to the flesh,
4 (who are the Israelites), to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the Covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the service of God, and the promises;
5 from whom are the Fathers, and from whom, concerning the flesh, Christ - Who is God over all, blessed forever – came. Amen.
6 Notwithstanding, it cannot be that the Word of God should take no effect. For not all are Israel who are of Israel.
7 Nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham. But: “In Isaac shall your seed be called.”
8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh are not the children of God. But the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
9 For this is a Word of Promise: “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son”;
10 and not only her, but Rebecca also, when she had conceived by one, even by our Father, Isaac.
11 For before the children were born - and when they had done neither good nor evil (so that the purpose of God might remain according to election; not by works, but by Him Who calls) -
12 it was said to her: “The Elder shall serve the younger.”
13 As it is written: “I have loved Jacob and have hated Esau.”
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Absolutely not!
15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy and will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
16 So then it is not in him who wills, nor in him who runs, but in God, Who shows mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “For this same purpose I have raised you up, so that I might show My power in you; and that My Name might be declared throughout all the Earth.”
18 Therefore, He has mercy on whom He will. And whom He will, He hardens.
19 You will then say to me: “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”
20 But who are you, O man, to contradict God? Shall the thing formed say to Him Who formed it, “Why have you made me this way”?
21 Does not indeed the potter have authority over the clay to make, from the same lump, one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?
22 What if God – though willing to show His wrath, and to make His power known - endured with much patience the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
23 That in so doing, He might declare the riches of His Glory upon the vessels of mercy, which He has prepared unto Glory -
24 even we whom He has called - not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles.
19 The heavens declare the Glory of God, and the firmament shows the work of His Hands.
2 Day unto day utters the same, and night unto night teaches knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone forth through all the earth; and their words into the ends of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the Sun,
5 which comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber, and rejoices like a mighty man to run his race.
6 His going out is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit is to the ends of the same, and nothing is hidden from the heat thereof.
7 The Law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the LORD is sure and gives wisdom to the simple.
8 The Statutes of the LORD are right and rejoice the heart. The Commandment of the LORD is pure and gives light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean and endures forever. The judgments of the LORD are truth. They are righteous altogether,
10 and more to be desired than gold—yea, than much fine gold—sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them your servant is made circumspect, and in the keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his faults? Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep your servant from presumptuous sins, also. Do not let them reign over me. So, shall I be upright and made clean from much wickedness.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD my strength, and my redeemer. To him who excels. A Psalm of David.
20 Wine is a mocker and strong drink rages. And whoever is deceived by them, is not wise.
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