Jehu Rebukes Jehoshaphat

19 Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem. ^2 (A)And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “^(B)Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord, and ^[a](C)by doing so bring wrath on yourself from the Lord? ³ But ^[b](D)there is some good in you, for ^(E)you have removed the ^[c]Asheroth from the land and you ^(F)have set your heart to seek God.”

⁴ So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem and went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and ^(G)brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers.

Reforms Instituted

⁵ He appointed ^(H)judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city. ⁶ He said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for ^(I)you do not judge for mankind but for the Lord who is with you ^[d]when you render judgment. ⁷ Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; be careful ^[e]about what you do, for ^[f]the Lord our God will ^(J)have no part in injustice ^(K)or partiality, or in the taking of a bribe.”

⁸ In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat also appointed some ^(L)of the Levites and priests, and some of the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord, and ^[g]to judge disputes among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ⁹ Then he commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and wholeheartedly. ^10 (M)Whenever any dispute comes to you from your countrymen who live in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you shall warn them so that they will not be guilty before the Lord, and ^(N)wrath will not come on you and your countrymen. This you shall do and you will not be guilty. ¹¹ Behold, Amariah the chief priest will be over you in ^(O)every matter ^[h]that pertains to the Lord, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all that pertains to the king. Also the Levites shall be officers before you. ^[i](P)Act resolutely, and may the Lord be with the upright.”

Judah Invaded

20 Now it came about after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the ^[j](Q)Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. ² Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from ^[k]Aram; and behold, they are in ^(R)Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).” ³ Jehoshaphat was afraid and ^[l](S)turned his attention to seek the Lord; and he ^(T)proclaimed a period of fasting throughout Judah. ⁴ So Judah gathered together to ^(U)seek help from the Lord; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

⁵ Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord in front of the new courtyard; ⁶ and he said, “Lord, God of our fathers, ^(V)are You not God in the heavens? And ^(W)are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. ⁷ Did You not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land from Your people Israel, and ^(X)give it to the descendants of ^(Y)Your friend Abraham forever? ⁸ They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ⁹ ‘^(Z)If disaster comes upon us, the sword, or judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for ^(AA)Your name is in this house), and cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.’ ¹⁰ Now behold, ^(AB)the sons of Ammon, Moab, and ^[m]Mount Seir, ^(AC)whom You did not allow Israel to invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (for they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), ¹¹ see how they are rewarding us by ^(AD)coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance. ¹² Our God, ^(AE)will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but ^(AF)our eyes are on You.”

¹³ All Judah was standing before the Lord, with their infants, their wives, and their children.

Jahaziel Answers the Prayer

¹⁴ Then in the midst of the assembly ^(AG)the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; ¹⁵ and he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: This is what the Lord says to you: ‘^(AH)Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for ^(AI)the battle is not yours but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You need not fight in this battle; take your position, ^(AJ)stand and watch the salvation of the Lord in your behalf, Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow, go out to face them, ^(AK)for the Lord is with you.”

¹⁸ Jehoshaphat ^(AL)bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. ¹⁹ The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and from the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

Enemies Destroy Themselves

²⁰ They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: ^(AM)Put your trust in the Lord your God and you will endure. Put your trust in His prophets, and succeed.” ²¹ When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who ^(AN)praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “^(AO)Give thanks to the Lord, for His faithfulness is everlasting.” ²² When they began singing and praising, the Lord ^(AP)set ambushes against the sons of ^(AQ)Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down. ²³ For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, completely destroying them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, ^(AR)they helped to destroy one another.

²⁴ When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they turned toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and there was no survivor. ²⁵ When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoils, they found much among them, including goods, ^[n]garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were taking the spoils for three days because there was so much.

Triumphant Return to Jerusalem

²⁶ Then on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for they blessed the Lord there. Therefore they have named that place “The Valley of ^[o]Beracah” until today. ²⁷ Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, ^(AS)for the Lord had helped them to rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸ They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. ²⁹ And ^(AT)the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. ³⁰ So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, ^(AU)for his God gave him rest on all sides.

^31 (AV)Now Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ³² He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not deviate from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord. ^33 (AW)The high places, however, were not removed; ^(AX)the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.

³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first ^[p]to last, behold, they are written in the annals of ^(AY)Jehu the son of Hanani, which is ^[q]recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

Alliance Displeases God

^35 (AZ)After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly ^[r]in so doing. ³⁶ So he allied himself with him to make ships to go ^(BA)to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. ³⁷ Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” So the ships were wrecked and could not go to Tarshish.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

²¹ When Jesus had said these things, He ^(A)became troubled in spirit, and ^[a]testified and said, “Truly, truly I say to you that ^(B)one of you will ^[b]betray Me.” ²² The disciples began looking at one another, ^(C)at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. ²³ Lying back on ^(D)Jesus’ chest was one of His disciples, ^(E)whom Jesus loved. ²⁴ So Simon Peter *nodded to this disciple and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” ²⁵ He then simply ^(F)leaned back on Jesus’ chest and *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” ²⁶ Jesus then *answered, “That man is the one for whom I shall dip the piece of bread and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the piece of bread, He *took and *gave it to Judas, ^(G)the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷ After ^[c]this, ^(H)Satan then ^(I)entered him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you are doing, do it quickly.” ²⁸ Now none of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. ²⁹ For some were assuming, since Judas ^(J)kept the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we need ^(K)for the feast”; or else, that he was to ^[d](L)give something to the poor. ³⁰ So after receiving the piece of bread, he left immediately; and ^(M)it was night.

³¹ Therefore when he had left, Jesus *said, “Now ^[e]is ^(N)the Son of Man ^(O)glorified, and ^(P)God ^[f]is glorified in Him; ^32 [g]if God is glorified in Him, ^(Q)God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. ^33 (R)Little children, I am still with you ^(S)a little longer. ^(T)You will look for Me; and just as I said to the ^[h]Jews, now I also say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴ I am giving you a ^(U)new commandment, ^(V)that you love one another; ^(W)just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ^35 (X)By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

³⁶ Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “^(Y)Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but ^(Z)you will follow later.” ³⁷ Peter *said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? ^(AA)I will lay down my life for You.” ³⁸ Jesus *replied, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly I say to you, ^(AB)a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.