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20 After these things the sons of Moab, and the sons of Ammon, and with them Idumeans, were gathered together, and they came to Jehoshaphat, for to fight against him. (And after these things the Moabites, and the Ammonites, and with them the Meunites, were gathered together, and they came to Jehoshaphat, to fight against him.)

And messengers came, and showed this to Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude of those places that be beyond the sea, and of Syria, is come against thee; and lo! they stand together in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. (And messengers came, and told this to Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude from that place on the other side of the Dead Sea, yea, from Edom, hath come against thee; and lo! they stand together in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.)

Forsooth Jehoshaphat was afeared by dread, and gave himself all for to pray the Lord, and preached fasting to all Judah. (And Jehoshaphat was filled with fear, and gave his all to pray to the Lord, and preached a fast for all of Judah.)

And Judah was gathered together for to pray (to) the Lord, and also all men came from their cities for to beseech him.

And when Jehoshaphat had stood in the midst of the company of Judah and of Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new large place of the temple, (And when Jehoshaphat had stood in the middle of the congregation of Judah and of Jerusalem, in the House of the Lord, in front of the new courtyard of the Temple,)

he said, Lord God of our fathers, thou art God in heaven, and thou art Lord of all (the) realms of folks; strength and power be in thine hand, and none may against-stand thee. (he said, Lord God of our fathers, thou art God in heaven, and thou art Lord of all the kingdoms of the nations; strength and power be in thine hand, and no one can stand against thee.)

Whether not thou, our God, hast slain all the dwellers of this land before thy people Israel, and hast given it to the seed of Abraham, thy friend, [into] without end? (Hast not thou, our God, killed all the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and hast thou not given it to the descendants of Abraham, thy friend, forevermore?)

And they dwelled therein, and builded therein a saintuary to thy name, and said, (And they lived here, and built a sanctuary in honour of thy name, and said,)

If evils come [up]on us, the sword of doom, pestilence, or hunger (yea, the sword, or judgement, or pestilence, or hunger), we shall stand before this house (into) without end in thy sight, in which house thy name is called (upon), and we shall cry to thee in our tribulations; and thou shalt hear us, and shalt make us safe.

10 Now therefore lo! the sons of Ammon, and of Moab, and the hill (country) of Seir, by whom thou grantedest not to the sons of Israel for to pass (through their lands), when they went out of Egypt, but they bowed away from them, and killed not them, (And so now lo! the Ammonites, and the Moabites, and those of the hill country of Seir, whom thou grantedest not to the Israelites to pass through their lands, when they went out of Egypt, but they turned away from them, and did not kill them,)

11 but (now) they do on the contrary, and endeavour to cast us out of the possession, which thou, our God, hast given to us;

12 therefore whether thou, Lord, shalt not deem them? Truly in us is not so great strength, that we may against-stand this multitude, that falleth in upon us; but since we know not what we ought to do, we, the residue, have this only, that we (ad)dress our eyes to thee. (and so shalt thou not judge them? Truly there is not in us so great a strength, that we can stand against this multitude, who falleth in against us; but since we know not what we ought to do, we, who remain, have only this, that we direct our eyes to thee.)

13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little children, and their wives, and with their free children.

14 And Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, was a deacon, and of the sons of Asaph, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord was made in the midst of the company, (And Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, was a Levite of the sons of Asaph, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord came in the middle of the congregation,)

15 and he said, All Judah, and ye that dwell in Jerusalem, and thou, king Jehoshaphat, perceive ye, or taketh heed, The Lord saith these things to you, Do not ye dread, neither be ye afeared of this multitude, for it is not your battle, but God’s battle. (and he said, All Judah, and ye who live in Jerusalem, and thou, king Jehoshaphat, take heed, The Lord saith these things to you, Do not ye fear, nor be ye afraid of this multitude, for it is not your battle, but God’s battle.)

16 Tomorrow ye shall go up against them; for they shall go up by the side of the hill, called Ziz by name, and ye shall find them in the height of the strand, that is against the wilderness of Jeruel. (Tomorrow ye shall go out against them; for they shall go up by the Ziz Pass, and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel.)

17 For it shall not be ye, that shall fight; but only stand ye trustily (For it shall not be ye, who shall fight; but only stand ye there with trust/in faith), and ye shall see the help of the Lord upon you. O! Judah and Jerusalem, do not ye dread, neither be ye afeared; tomorrow ye shall go out against them, and the Lord shall be with you.

18 Therefore Jehoshaphat, and Judah, and all the dwellers of Jerusalem, fell lowly upon the earth before the Lord, and worshipped him. (And so Jehoshaphat, and Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, fell low on the ground before the Lord, and worshipped him.)

19 And the deacons of the sons of Kohath, and of the sons of Korah (And the Levites of the Kohathites, and of the Korahites), praised the Lord God of Israel with [a] great voice on high.

20 And when upon the morrow they had risen early, they went out by the desert of Tekoa; and when they had gone forth, Jehoshaphat stood in the midst of them, and said, Judah, and all the dwellers of Jerusalem, hear ye me; believe ye in the Lord your God, and ye shall be secure; believe ye to his prophets, and all prosperities shall come to you. (And when they had risen early the next morning, they went out by the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they had gone forth, Jehoshaphat stood in their midst, and said, Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, listen ye to me; believe ye in the Lord your God, and ye shall be secure; believe ye his prophets, and ye shall prosper.)

21 And he gave counsel to the people, and he ordained the singers of the Lord, that they should praise him in their companies, and that they should go before the host, and say with according voice, Acknowledge ye to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy is without end. (And he consulted with the people, and he ordained the singers of the Lord, to praise him in their companies, and to go before the army, and to sing together with a loud voice, Praise ye the Lord, for he is good; for his love endureth forevermore.)

22 And when they began to sing praisings, the Lord turned the ambushments of them against themselves, that is, of the sons of Ammon, and of Moab, and of the hill of Seir, which went out to fight against Judah; and they were slain. (And when they began to sing their praises, the Lord turned their enemies’ ambushes back against themselves, that is, against the Ammonites, and the Moabites, and those of the hill country of Seir, yea, all who went to fight against Judah; and they were killed.)

23 For why the sons of Ammon and of Moab rose together against the dwellers of the hill of Seir, to slay, and to do away them; and when they had done this thing in work, they were then also turned against themselves, and they fell down together by wounds, each slaying (the) other. (For the Ammonites and the Moabites rose up together against the inhabitants of the hill country of Seir, to kill them, and to do them away; and when they had done this thing, then they turned against each other, and they fell down wounded together, each killing the other.)

24 Certainly when Judah was come to the den, (or the cave,) that beholdeth, or is over against, the wilderness, he saw afar all the large country full of dead bodies, and that none was left, that might escape death. (And when the men of Judah came to the watch-tower, that overlooketh the wilderness, they saw all the countryside far and wide full of dead bodies, and that no one was left, who had escaped death.)

25 Therefore Jehoshaphat came, and all the people with him, to draw away the spoils of [the] dead men, and they found among the dead bodies diverse purtenance of household, and clothes, and full precious vessels; and they ravished, or took those things away, in diverse manners, so that they might not bear all things, neither they might take away the spoils by three days, for the greatness of [the] prey. (And so Jehoshaphat, and all the people with him, came to take away the dead men’s spoils, and they found among the dead bodies diverse purtenance of household, and clothes, and very precious vessels; and they took those things away, by many means, but even over the course of three days, they could not carry away all those things, and take away all the spoils, for the greatness of the prey.)

26 Soothly in the fourth day they were gathered together in the valley of Blessing; for-thy that they blessed the Lord there, they called that place the valley of Blessing, unto this present day. (And on the fourth day they gathered together in the Berachah Valley, that is, in the Valley of Blessing; for because they blessed the Lord there, that place is called the Valley of Blessing, unto this present day.)

27 And each man of Judah turned again, and the dwellers of Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat (went) before them, into Jerusalem with great gladness; for the Lord God had given to them (the) joy of their enemies. (And each man of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat going before them, returned to Jerusalem with great gladness; for the Lord God had given them victory over their enemies/for the Lord God had given them joy over their enemies’ defeat.)

28 And they entered into Jerusalem with psalteries, and harps, and trumps, into the house of the Lord. (And they entered into Jerusalem with lutes, and harps, and trumpets, and went to the House of the Lord.)

29 Forsooth the dread of the Lord felled on all the realms of (the) lands, when they had heard, that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.

30 And the realm of Jehoshaphat rested from war; and the Lord gave peace to him all about.

31 And Jehoshaphat reigned upon Judah; and he was of five and thirty years, when he began to reign; and he reigned five and twenty years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.

32 And he went in the way of Asa his father, and bowed not from it, and he did whatever things were pleasant before the Lord. (And he went in the way of his father Asa, and turned not from it, and he did whatever things were pleasing in the sight of the Lord.)

33 Nevertheless he did not away the high places; and yet the people had not (ad)dressed their heart to the Lord God of their fathers. (But still he did not do away the hill shrines; and the people had not yet directed their hearts toward the Lord God of their fathers.)

34 Forsooth the residue of the former and the last deeds of Jehoshaphat be written in the book of Jehu, the son of Hanani, which he ordained in the book of [the] kings of Israel. (And the rest of the first and the last deeds of Jehoshaphat be written in The Book of Jehu, the son of Hanani, which is part of The Book of the Kings of Israel.)

35 After these things Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, made friendships with Ahaziah, king of Israel, whose works were full evil/were most evil;

36 and he was partner to him, and they made ships, which should go into Tarshish; and they made one ship (to go) into Eziongaber. (and he was his partner, and they made ships in order to go to Tarshish; and they built the ships at Eziongaber.)

37 And Eliezer, the son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, prophesied to Jehoshaphat, and said, For thou hast had bond of peace with Ahaziah, the Lord hath destroyed thy works; and the ships be broken, and [they] might not go into Tarshish (But Eliezer, the son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, prophesied to Jehoshaphat, and said, For thou hast had a covenant with Ahaziah, the Lord shall destroy thy works; and so the ships were destroyed, and they never did go to Tarshish.)

Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon

20 After this, the Moabites(A) and Ammonites with some of the Meunites[a](B) came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.

Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army(C) is coming against you from Edom,[b] from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar(D)” (that is, En Gedi).(E) Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast(F) for all Judah. The people of Judah(G) 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,(H) are you not the God who is in heaven?(I) You rule over all the kingdoms(J) of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.(K) Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land(L) before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?(M) They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary(N) for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine,(O) 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;(P) 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(Q) you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them?(R) 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.(S)

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

14 Then the Spirit(T) of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah,(U) 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(V) because of this vast army. For the battle(W) 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(X) 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(Y) 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(Z) in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.(AA) 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness(AB) as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

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

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

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[d] 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[e] 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(AH) of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought(AI) against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest(AJ) on every side.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign(AK)

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,(AL) 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(AM) son of Hanani, which are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.

35 Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance(AN) with Ahaziah king of Israel, whose ways were wicked.(AO) 36 He agreed with him to construct a fleet of trading ships.[f] 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(AP) were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.[g]

Footnotes

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

20 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

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

And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

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

If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

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

13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14 Then 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, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation;

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

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

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord 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 before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

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

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

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

26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the Lord.

29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.

30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.

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

32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord.

33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.

35 And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join 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 Eziongaber.

37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir Defeated

20 It happened after this that the people of (A)Moab with the people of (B)Ammon, and others with them besides the (C)Ammonites,[a] came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from [b]Syria; and they are (D)in Hazazon Tamar” (which is (E)En Gedi). And Jehoshaphat feared, and set [c]himself to (F)seek the Lord, and (G)proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask (H)help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not (I)God in heaven, and (J)do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and (K)in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? Are You not (L)our God, who (M)drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham (N)Your friend forever? And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, (O)‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your (P)name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’ 10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You (Q)would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but (R)they turned from them and did not destroy them— 11 here they are, rewarding us (S)by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will You not (T)judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but (U)our eyes are upon You.”

13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.

14 Then (V)the Spirit of the Lord came 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, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: (W)‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, (X)for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the [d]brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 (Y)You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, (Z)for the Lord is with you.”

18 And Jehoshaphat (AA)bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.

20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: (AB)Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, (AC)and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

(AD)“Praise the Lord,
(AE)For His mercy endures forever.”

22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, (AF)the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. 23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they [e]had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, (AG)they helped to destroy one another.

24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.

25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the [f]dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. 26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of [g]Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had (AH)made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 And (AI)the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his (AJ)God gave him rest all around.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign(AK)

31 (AL)So Jehoshaphat was king over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 And he walked in the way of his father (AM)Asa, and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. 33 Nevertheless (AN)the [h]high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not (AO)directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, indeed they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, (AP)which is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.

35 After this (AQ)Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, (AR)who acted very (AS)wickedly. 36 And he allied himself with him (AT)to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber. 37 But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” (AU)Then the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go (AV)to Tarshish.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 20:1 So with MT, Vg.; LXX Meunites (cf. 2 Chr. 26:7)
  2. 2 Chronicles 20:2 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; Heb. mss., Old Lat. Edom
  3. 2 Chronicles 20:3 Lit. his face
  4. 2 Chronicles 20:16 streambed or wadi
  5. 2 Chronicles 20:23 had finished
  6. 2 Chronicles 20:25 A few Heb. mss., Old Lat., Vg. garments; LXX armor
  7. 2 Chronicles 20:26 Lit. Blessing
  8. 2 Chronicles 20:33 Places for pagan worship