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19 And Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.

And Jehu the son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate Jehovah? Therefore is wrath upon thee from Jehovah.

Nevertheless there are good things found in thee; for thou hast put away the Asherahs out of the land, and hast directed thy heart to seek God.

And Jehoshaphat dwelt in Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beer-sheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back to Jehovah the God of their fathers.

And he set judges in the land throughout the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.

And he said to the judges, Take heed what ye do; for ye judge not for man, but for Jehovah, who will be with you in the matter of judgment.

And now, let the terror of Jehovah be upon you; be careful what ye do, for there is no iniquity with Jehovah, nor respect of persons, nor taking of presents.

—And moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set some of the Levites and priests, and of the chief fathers of Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah and for causes.—And they returned to Jerusalem.

And he charged them saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of Jehovah faithfully and with a perfect heart.

10 And what cause soever comes to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against Jehovah, and so wrath come upon you and upon your brethren: this do and ye shall not trespass.

11 And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Jehovah, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, prince of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters; and ye have the Levites before you as officers. Be strong and do it, and Jehovah will be with the good.

20 And it came to pass after this [that] the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them certain of the Maonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

And they came and told Jehoshaphat saying, A great multitude is come against thee from beyond the sea, from Syria; and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is Engedi.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek Jehovah, and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.

And Judah gathered themselves together to ask [help] of Jehovah: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah.

And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, before the new court;

and he said, Jehovah, God of our fathers, art not thou God in the heavens, and rulest thou not over all the kingdoms of the nations? And in thy hand there is power and might, and none can withstand thee.

Hast not thou, our God, dispossessed the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and given it for ever to the seed of Abraham, thy friend?

And they have dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

If evil come upon us, sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, and we stand before this house and before thee—for thy name is in this house—and cry unto thee in our distress, then thou wilt hear and save.

10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab, and those of mount Seir, amongst whom thou wouldest not let Israel go when they came out of the land of Egypt, (for they turned from them, and destroyed them not,)

11 behold, they reward us, in coming to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to possess.

12 Our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might in presence of this great company which cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee.

13 And all Judah stood before Jehovah, with their little ones, their wives, and their sons.

14 And upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, upon him came the Spirit of Jehovah, in the midst of the congregation;

15 and he said, Be attentive, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat! Thus saith Jehovah unto you: Fear not, nor be dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

16 To-morrow go down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

17 Ye shall not have to fight on this occasion: set yourselves, stand and see the salvation of Jehovah [who is] with you! Judah and Jerusalem, fear not nor be dismayed; to-morrow go out against them, and Jehovah will be with you.

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah, worshipping Jehovah.

19 And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah the God of Israel with an exceeding loud voice.

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth towards the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in Jehovah your God, and ye shall be established; believe his prophets, and ye shall prosper!

21 And he consulted with the people, and appointed singers to Jehovah, and those that should praise in holy splendour, as they went forth before the armed men, and say, Give thanks to Jehovah; for his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever!

22 And when they began the song of triumph and praise, Jehovah set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were smitten.

23 And the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, to exterminate and destroy [them]; and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

24 And Judah came on to the mountain-watch in the wilderness, and they looked toward the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped.

25 And Jehoshaphat and his people came to plunder the spoil of them, and they found among them in abundance, both riches with the dead bodies, and precious things, and they stripped off for themselves more than they could carry away; and they were three days in plundering the spoil, it was so much.

26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah, for there they blessed Jehovah; therefore the name of that place was called The valley of Berachah, to this day.

27 And they returned, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

28 And they came to Jerusalem with lutes and harps and trumpets, to the house of Jehovah.

29 And the terror of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands, when they had heard that Jehovah fought against the enemies of Israel.

30 And the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet; and his God gave him rest round about.

31 And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi.

32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and turned not aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of Jehovah.

33 Only, the high places were not removed; and as yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.

34 And the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the words of Jehu the son of Hanani, which are inserted in the book of the kings of Israel.

35 And after this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly.

36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.

37 And Eliezer the son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah has broken thy works. And the ships were broken, and could not go to Tarshish.

19 When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, Jehu(A) the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, “Should you help the wicked(B) and love[a] those who hate the Lord?(C) Because of this, the wrath(D) of the Lord is on you. There is, however, some good(E) in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles(F) and have set your heart on seeking God.(G)

Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges

Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. He appointed judges(H) in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. He told them, “Consider carefully what you do,(I) because you are not judging for mere mortals(J) but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice(K) or partiality(L) or bribery.”

In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites,(M) priests(N) and heads of Israelite families to administer(O) the law of the Lord and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord. 10 In every case that comes before you from your people who live in the cities—whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or regulations—you are to warn them not to sin against the Lord;(P) otherwise his wrath will come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.

11 “Amariah the chief priest will be over you in any matter concerning the Lord, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be over you in any matter concerning the king, and the Levites will serve as officials before you. Act with courage,(Q) and may the Lord be with those who do well.”

Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon

20 After this, the Moabites(R) and Ammonites with some of the Meunites[b](S) came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.

Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army(T) is coming against you from Edom,[c] from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar(U)” (that is, En Gedi).(V) Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast(W) for all Judah. The people of Judah(X) came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.

Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard and said:

Lord, the God of our ancestors,(Y) are you not the God who is in heaven?(Z) You rule over all the kingdoms(AA) of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.(AB) Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land(AC) before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?(AD) They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary(AE) for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine,(AF) we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’

10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt;(AG) so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession(AH) you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them?(AI) For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.(AJ)

13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.

14 Then the Spirit(AK) of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah,(AL) a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.

15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged(AM) because of this vast army. For the battle(AN) is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see(AO) the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”

18 Jehoshaphat bowed down(AP) with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith(AQ) in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.(AR) 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his[d] holiness(AS) as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”(AT)

22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes(AU) against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites(AV) and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir(AW) to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.(AX)

24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing[e] and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah[f] to this day.

27 Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lyres and trumpets.

29 The fear(AY) of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought(AZ) against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest(BA) on every side.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign(BB)

31 So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 32 He followed the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 33 The high places,(BC) however, were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their ancestors.

34 The other events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the annals of Jehu(BD) son of Hanani, which are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.

35 Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance(BE) with Ahaziah king of Israel, whose ways were wicked.(BF) 36 He agreed with him to construct a fleet of trading ships.[g] After these were built at Ezion Geber, 37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” The ships(BG) were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.[h]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 19:2 Or and make alliances with
  2. 2 Chronicles 20:1 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew Ammonites
  3. 2 Chronicles 20:2 One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate Aram
  4. 2 Chronicles 20:21 Or him with the splendor of
  5. 2 Chronicles 20:25 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts corpses
  6. 2 Chronicles 20:26 Berakah means praise.
  7. 2 Chronicles 20:36 Hebrew of ships that could go to Tarshish
  8. 2 Chronicles 20:37 Hebrew sail for Tarshish