But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them.
Parallel translations
- WEB But when in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.
- KJV But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
- NKJV but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.
- NASB But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.
- NLT But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Yet when Israel turned to the Lord in distress and sought Him, He was found by them. God is always ready to receive those who genuinely return to Him.
Overview
Against the bleak past, the prophet offers hope: repentance brings restoration. This pattern of distress, turning, and being found echoes the cycles of the judges and reassures Asa. It points to the gospel promise that all who turn to God through Christ will surely find Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Isa 55:6Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
- Deut 4:29–30But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
- 2 Chr 15:15And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart. They had sought Him earnestly, and He was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.
- Isa 65:1–2“I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
- Hos 6:1Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds.
- Hos 14:1–3Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity.
- Ps 106:44Nevertheless He heard their cry; He took note of their distress.
- Rom 10:20And Isaiah boldly says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me.”
- Judg 3:9–10But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.
- Judg 10:10–16Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, for we have indeed forsaken our God and served the Baals.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Temple, priesthood, and the repeated need for a faithful king who seeks the LORD all point past every imperfect reign to the King and Temple who finally and fully dwell with God's people.
How 2 Chronicles 15:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.