The Daily Audio Bible
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14 And Abia slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead: in his days the land was quiet ten years.
2 And Asa did that which was good and pleasing in the sight of his God, and he destroyed the altars of foreign worship, and the high places.
3 And broke the statues, and cut down the groves.
4 And he commanded Juda to seek the Lord the God of their fathers, and to do the law, and all the commandments.
5 And he took away out of all the cities of Juda the altars, and temples, and reigned in peace.
6 He built also strong cities in Juda, for he was quiet, and there had no wars risen in his time, the Lord giving peace.
7 And he said to Juda: Let us build these cities, and compass them with walls, and fortify them with towers, and gates, and bars, while all is quiet from wars, because we have sought the Lord the God of our fathers, and he hath given us peace round about. So they built, and there was no hinderance in building.
8 And Asa had in his army of men that bore shields and spears of Juda three hundred thousand, and of Benjamin that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and eighty thousand, all these were most valiant men.
9 And Zara the Ethiopian came out against them with his army of ten hundred thousand men, and with three hundred chariots: and he came as far as Maresa.
10 And Asa went out to meet him, and set his army in array for battle in the vale of Sephata, which is near Maresa:
11 And he called upon the Lord God, and said: O Lord, there is no difference with thee, whether thou help with few, or with many: help us, O Lord our God: for with confidence in thee, and in thy name, we are come against this multitude. O Lord thou art our God, let not man prevail against thee.
12 And the Lord terrified the Ethiopians before Asa and Juda: and the Ethiopians fled.
13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them to Gerara: and the Ethiopians fell even to utter destruction, for the Lord slew them, and his army fought against them, and they were destroyed. And they took abundance of spoils,
14 And they took all the cities round about Gerara: for a great fear was come upon all men: and they pillaged the cities, and carried off much booty.
15 And they destroyed the sheepcotes, and took an infinite number of cattle, and of camels: and returned to Jerusalem.
15 And the spirit of God came upon Azarias the son of Oded,
2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: Hear ye me, Asa, and all Juda and Benjamin: The Lord is with you, because you have been with him. If you seek him, you shall find: but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 And many days shall pass in Israel without the true God, and without a priest a teacher, and without the law.
4 And when in their distress they shall return to the Lord the God of Israel, and shall seek him, they shall find him.
5 At that time there shall be no peace to him that goeth out and cometh in, but terrors on every side among all the inhabitants of the earth.
6 For nation shall fight against nation, and city against city, for the Lord will trouble them with all distress.
7 Do you therefore take courage, and let not your hands he weakened: for there shall be a reward for your work.
8 And when Asa had heard the words, and the prophecy of Azarias the son of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and took away the idols out of all the land of Juda, and out of Benjamin, and out of the cities of mount Ephraim, which he had taken, and he dedicated the altar of the Lord, which was before the porch of the Lord.
9 And he gathered together all Juda and Benjamin, and the strangers with them of Ephraim, and Manasses, and Simeon: for many were come over to him out of Israel, seeing that the Lord his God was with him.
10 And when they were come to Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa,
11 They sacrificed to the Lord in that day of the spoils, and of the prey, that they had brought, seven hundred oxen, and seven thousand rams.
12 And he went in to confirm as usual the covenant, that they should seek the Lord the God of their fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul.
13 And if any one, said he, seek not the Lord the God of Israel, let him die, whether little or great, man or woman.
14 And they swore to the Lord with a loud voice with joyful shouting, and with sound of trumpet, and sound of comets,
15 All that mere in Juda with a curse: for with all their heart they swore, and with all their will they sought him, and they found him, and the Lord gave them rest round about.
16 Moreover Maacha the mother of king Asa he deposed from the royal authority, because she had made in a grove an idol of Priapus: and he entirely destroyed it, and breaking it into pieces, burnt it at the torrent Cedron.
17 But high places were left in Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 And the things which his father had vowed, and he himself had vowed, he brought into the house of the Lord, gold and silver, and vessels of divers uses.
19 And there was no war unto the five and thirtieth year of the kingdom of Asa.
16 And in the six and thirtieth year of his kingdom, Baasa the king of Israel came up against Juda, and built a wall about Rama, that no one might safely go out or come in of the kingdom of Asa.
2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king's treasures, and sent to Benadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying:
3 There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father, wherefore I have sent thee silver and gold, that thou mayst break thy league with Baasa king of Israel, and make him depart from me.
4 And then Benadad heard this, he sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel: and they took Ahion, and Dan, and Abelmaim, and all the walled cities of Nephtali.
5 And when Baasa heard of it, he left off the building of Rama, and interrupted his work.
6 Then king Asa took all Juda, and they carried away from Rama the stones, and the timber that Baasa had prepared for the building: and he built with them Gabaa, and Maspha.
7 At that time Hanani the prophet came to Asa king of Juda, and said to him: Because thou hast had confidence in the king of Syria, and not in the Lord thy God, therefore hath the army of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.
8 Were not the Ethiopians, and the Libyans much more numerous in chariots, and horsemen, and an exceeding great multitude: yet because thou trustedst in the Lord, he delivered them into thy hand?
9 For the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and give strength to those who with a perfect heart trust in him. Wherefore thou hast done foolishly, and for this cause from this time wars shall arise against thee.
10 And Asa was angry with the seer, and commanded him to be put in prison: for he was greatly enraged because of this thing: and he put to death many of the people at that time.
11 But the works of Asa the first and last are written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel.
12 And Asa fell sick in the nine and thirtieth year of his reign, of a most violent pain in his feet, and yet in his illness he did not seek the Lord, but rather trusted in the skill of physicians.
13 And he slept with his fathers: and he died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.
14 And they buried him in his own sepulchre, which he had made for himself in the city of David: and they laid him on his bed full of spices and odoriferous ointments, which were made by the art of the perfumers, and they burnt them over him with very great pomp.
9 I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost:
2 That I have great sadness, and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 For I wished myself to be an anathema from Christ, for my brethren, who are my kinsmen according to the flesh,
4 Who are Israelites, to whom belongeth the adoption as of children, and the glory, and the testament, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises:
5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ, according to the flesh, who is over all things, God blessed for ever. Amen.
6 Not as though the word of God hath miscarried. For all are not Israelites that are of Israel:
7 Neither are all they that are the seed of Abraham, children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
8 That is to say, not they that are the children of the flesh, are the children of God; but they, that are the children of the promise, are accounted for the seed.
9 For this is the word of promise: According to this time will I come; and Sara shall have a son.
10 And not only she. But when Rebecca also had conceived at once, of Isaac our father.
11 For when the children were not yet born, nor had done any good or evil (that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand,)
12 Not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said to her: The elder shall serve the younger.
13 As it is written: Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith to Pharao: To this purpose have I raised thee, that I may shew my power in thee, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore he hath mercy on whom he will; and whom he will, he hardeneth.
19 Thou wilt say therefore to me: Why doth he then find fault? for who resisteth his will?
20 O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it: Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Or hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump, to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction,
23 That he might shew the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he hath prepared unto glory?
24 Even us, whom also he hath called, nor only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles.
19 Unto the end. A psalm for David.
2 May the Lord hear thee in the day of tribulation: may the name of the God of Jacob protect thee.
3 May he send thee help from the sanctuary: and defend thee out of Sion.
4 May he be mindful of all thy sacrifices: and may thy whole burnt offering be made fat.
5 May he give thee according to thy own heart; and confirm all thy counsels.
6 We will rejoice in thy salvation; and in the name of our God we shall be exalted.
7 The Lord fulfill all thy petitions: now have I known that the Lord hath saved his anointed. He will hear him from his holy heaven: the salvation of his right hand is in powers.
8 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God.
9 They are bound, and have fallen; but we are risen, and are set upright. O Lord, save the king: and hear us in the day that we shall call upon thee.
20 Wine is a luxurious thing, and drunkenness riotous: whosoever is delighted therewith shall not be wise.
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