The Daily Audio Bible
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14 And Abijah lieth with his fathers, and they bury him in the city of David, and reign doth Asa his son in his stead: in his days was the land quiet ten years.
2 And Asa doth that which is good, and that which is right, in the eyes of Jehovah his God,
3 and turneth aside the altars of the stranger, and the high places, and breaketh the standing-pillars, and cutteth down the shrines,
4 and saith to Judah to seek Jehovah, God of their fathers, and to do the law and the command;
5 and he turneth aside out of all cities of Judah the high places and the images, and the kingdom is quiet before him.
6 And he buildeth cities of bulwarks in Judah, for the land hath quiet, and there is no war with him in these years, because Jehovah hath given rest to him.
7 And he saith to Judah, `Let us build these cities, and compass [them] with wall, and towers, two-leaved doors, and bars, while the land [is] before us, because we have sought Jehovah our God, we have sought, and He giveth rest to us round about;' and they build and prosper.
8 And there is to Asa a force bearing target and spear, out of Judah three hundred thousand, and out of Benjamin, bearing shield and treading bow, two hundred and eighty thousand: all these [are] mighty of valour.
9 And come out unto them doth Zerah the Cushite with a force of a thousand thousand, and chariots three hundred, and he cometh in unto Mareshah,
10 and Asa goeth out before him, and they set battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa calleth unto Jehovah his God, and saith, `Jehovah! it is nothing with Thee to help, between the mighty and those who have no power; help us, O Jehovah, our God, for on Thee we have leant, and in Thy name we have come against this multitude; O Jehovah, our God thou [art]; let him not prevail with Thee -- mortal man!
12 And Jehovah smiteth the Cushim before Asa, and before Judah, and the Cushim flee,
13 and Asa and the people who [are] with him pursue them even to Gerar, and there fall of the Cushim, for they have no preserving, because they have been broken before Jehovah, and before His camp; and they bear away very much spoil,
14 and smite all the cities round about Gerar, for a fear of Jehovah hath been upon them, and they spoil all the cities, for abundant spoil hath been in them;
15 and also tents of cattle they have smitten, and they capture sheep in abundance, and camels, and turn back to Jerusalem.
15 And upon Azariah son of Oded hath been the Spirit of God,
2 and he goeth out before Asa, and saith to him, `Hear, me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; Jehovah [is] with you -- in your being with Him, and if ye seek Him, He is found of you, and if ye forsake Him, He forsaketh you;
3 and many days [are] to Israel without a true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law,
4 and it turneth back in its distress unto Jehovah, God of Israel, and they seek Him, and He is found of them,
5 and in those times there is no peace to him who is going out, and to him who is coming in, for many troubles [are] on all the inhabitants of the lands,
6 and they have been beaten down, nation by nation, and city by city, for God hath troubled them with every adversity;
7 and ye, be ye strong, and let not your hands be feeble, for there is a reward for your work.'
8 And at Asa's hearing these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he hath strengthened himself, and doth cause the abominations to pass away out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities that he hath captured from the hill-country of Ephraim, and reneweth the altar of Jehovah that [is] before the porch of Jehovah,
9 and gathereth all Judah and Benjamin, and the sojourners with them out of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and out of Simeon -- for they have fallen unto him from Israel in abundance, in their seeing that Jehovah his God [is] with him.
10 And they are gathered to Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa,
11 and sacrifice to Jehovah on that day from the spoil they have brought in -- oxen seven hundred, and sheep seven thousand,
12 and they enter into a covenant to seek Jehovah, God of their fathers, with all their heart, and with all their soul,
13 and every one who doth not seek for Jehovah, God of Israel, is put to death, from small unto great, from man unto woman.
14 And they swear to Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets,
15 and rejoice do all Judah concerning the oath, for with all their heart they have sworn, and with all their good-will they have sought Him, and He is found of them, and Jehovah giveth rest to them round about.
16 And also Maachah, mother of Asa the king -- he hath removed her from [being] mistress, in that she hath made for a shrine a horrible thing, and Asa cutteth down her horrible thing, and beateth [it] small, and burneth [it] by the brook Kidron:
17 yet the high places have not turned aside from Israel; only, the heart of Asa hath been perfect all his days.
18 And he bringeth in the sanctified things of his father, and his own sanctified things, to the house of God, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 And war hath not been till the thirty and fifth year of the reign of Asa.
16 In the thirty and sixth year of the reign of Asa, come up hath Baasha king of Israel, against Judah, and buildeth Ramah, so as not to permit any going out and coming in to Asa king of Judah.
2 And Asa bringeth out silver and gold from the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and of the house of the king, and sendeth unto Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who is dwelling in Damascus, saying,
3 `A covenant [is] between me and thee, and between my father and thy father, lo, I have sent to thee silver and gold; go, break thy covenant with Baasha king of Israel, and he doth go up from off me.'
4 And Ben-Hadad hearkeneth unto king Asa, and sendeth the heads of the forces that he hath unto cities of Israel, and they smite Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-Maim, and all the stores, cities of Naphtali.
5 And it cometh to pass, at Baasha's hearing, that he ceaseth from building Ramah, and letteth his work rest;
6 and Asa the king hath taken all Judah, and they bear away the stones of Ramah, and its wood, that Baasha hath built, and he buildeth with them Geba and Mizpah.
7 And at that time hath Hanani the seer come in unto Asa king of Judah, and saith unto him, `Because of thy leaning on the king of Aram, and thou hast not leaned on Jehovah thy God, therefore hath the force of the king of Aram escaped from thy hand.
8 Did not the Cushim and the Lubim become a very great force for multitude, for chariot, and for horsemen? and in thy leaning on Jehovah He gave them into thy hand,
9 for Jehovah -- His eyes go to and fro in all the earth, to show Himself strong [for] a people whose heart [is] perfect towards Him; thou hast been foolish concerning this, because -- henceforth there are with thee wars.'
10 And Asa is angry at the seer, and giveth him to the house of torture, for [he is] in a rage with him for this; and Asa oppresseth [some] of the people at that time.
11 And lo, the matters of Asa, the first and the last, lo, they are written on the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12 And Asa is diseased -- in the thirty and ninth year of his reign -- in his feet, till his disease is excessive, and also in his disease he hath not sought Jehovah, but among physicians.
13 And Asa lieth with his fathers, and dieth in the forty and first year of his reign,
14 and they bury him in [one of] his graves, that he had prepared for himself in the city of David, and they cause him to lie on a bed that [one] hath filled [with] spices, and divers kinds of mixtures, with perfumed work; and they burn for him a burning -- very great.
9 Truth I say in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing testimony with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great grief and unceasing pain in my heart --
3 for I was wishing, I myself, to be anathema from the Christ -- for my brethren, my kindred, according to the flesh,
4 who are Israelites, whose [is] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the lawgiving, and the service, and the promises,
5 whose [are] the fathers, and of whom [is] the Christ, according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed to the ages. Amen.
6 And it is not possible that the word of God hath failed; for not all who [are] of Israel are these Israel;
7 nor because they are seed of Abraham [are] all children, but -- `in Isaac shall a seed be called to thee;'
8 that is, the children of the flesh -- these [are] not children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for seed;
9 for the word of promise [is] this; `According to this time I will come, and there shall be to Sarah a son.'
10 And not only [so], but also Rebecca, having conceived by one -- Isaac our father --
11 (for they being not yet born, neither having done anything good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to choice, might remain; not of works, but of Him who is calling,) it was said to her --
12 `The greater shall serve the less;'
13 according as it hath been written, `Jacob I did love, and Esau I did hate.'
14 What, then, shall we say? unrighteousness [is] with God? let it not be!
15 for to Moses He saith, `I will do kindness to whom I do kindness, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion;'
16 so, then -- not of him who is willing, nor of him who is running, but of God who is doing kindness:
17 for the Writing saith to Pharaoh -- `For this very thing I did raise thee up, that I might shew in thee My power, and that My name might be declared in all the land;'
18 so, then, to whom He willeth, He doth kindness, and to whom He willeth, He doth harden.
19 Thou wilt say, then, to me, `Why yet doth He find fault? for His counsel who hath resisted?'
20 nay, but, O man, who art thou that art answering again to God? shall the thing formed say to Him who did form [it], Why me didst thou make thus?
21 hath not the potter authority over the clay, out of the same lump to make the one vessel to honour, and the one to dishonour?
22 And if God, willing to shew the wrath and to make known His power, did endure, in much long suffering, vessels of wrath fitted for destruction,
23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on vessels of kindness, that He before prepared for glory, whom also He did call -- us --
24 not only out of Jews, but also out of nations,
19 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. The heavens [are] recounting the honour of God, And the work of His hands The expanse [is] declaring.
2 Day to day uttereth speech, And night to night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech, and there are no words. Their voice hath not been heard.
4 Into all the earth hath their line gone forth, And to the end of the world their sayings, For the sun He placed a tent in them,
5 And he, as a bridegroom, goeth out from his covering, He rejoiceth as a mighty one To run the path.
6 From the end of the heavens [is] his going out, And his revolution [is] unto their ends, And nothing is hid from his heat.
7 The law of Jehovah [is] perfect, refreshing the soul, The testimonies of Jehovah [are] stedfast, Making wise the simple,
8 The precepts of Jehovah [are] upright, Rejoicing the heart, The command of Jehovah [is] pure, enlightening the eyes,
9 The fear of Jehovah [is] clean, standing to the age, The judgments of Jehovah [are] true, They have been righteous -- together.
10 They are more desirable than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; and sweeter than honey, Even liquid honey of the comb.
11 Also -- Thy servant is warned by them, `In keeping them [is] a great reward.'
12 Errors! who doth understand? From hidden ones declare me innocent,
13 Also -- from presumptuous ones keep back Thy servant, Let them not rule over me, Then am I perfect, And declared innocent of much transgression,
14 Let the sayings of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, Be for a pleasing thing before Thee, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer!
20 Wine [is] a scorner -- strong drink [is] noisy, And any going astray in it is not wise.