Covenant Assembly and Azariah's Message

"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." "Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded."

"And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman."

"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." "But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days." "And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa."

A harsh oath

The covenant's death penalty for those who would not seek the LORD (compare Deuteronomy 13; 17:2–7) is severe; readers today find it troubling. The text reports it as part of the covenant renewal.

"Five and thirtieth year"

This date, with 16:1's "six and thirtieth year," conflicts with 1 Kings 16:8, where Baasha is dead by Asa's 26th year. See the 1 Kings passage page.