Chapter 17

Zeal of Jehoshaphat for the Law. ¹ Asa was succeeded as king by his son Jehoshaphat, and immediately thereafter he set out to strengthen his position against Israel. ² He stationed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and he placed garrisons throughout Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which his father Asa had captured.

³ The Lord was with Jehoshaphat^[a] because he had followed the example of his father from his earliest years and did not consult the Baals. ⁴ Rather, he sought the God of his father, observing his commandments, and refused to follow the practices of Israel. ⁵ As a result of this, the Lord made secure Jehoshaphat’s control of the kingdom. All Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, and his wealth and glory were exceedingly great. ⁶ He took enormous pride in following the ways of the Lord, and he ordered the removal of the high places and the sacred poles from Judah.

⁷ In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his most learned officials—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah. ^8 [b]With them he also sent the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, and Tobijah. Accompanying those Levites were the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹ They taught in Judah, having with them the book of the law of the Lord. They traveled through all the cities of Judah, instructing the people.

¹⁰ The Power of Jehoshaphat. The fear of the Lord seized all the kingdoms of the countries surrounding Judah, and as a result, they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Some of the Philistines brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, as well as silver as a tribute, while the Arabs also brought him a flock of seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats.

¹² Jehoshaphat grew steadily more powerful. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. ¹³ He also supervised great works in the cities of Judah, and he stationed soldiers, valiant warriors, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ The soldiers were classified by ancestral houses. Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah was the highest-ranking commander, with three hundred thousand mighty warriors. ¹⁵ Next in line under him was Jehohanan the commander, with two hundred and eighty thousand mighty warriors, ¹⁶ and next to him was Amasiah, the son of Zichri, who had volunteered for the service of the Lord, with two hundred thousand mighty warriors.

¹⁷ Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty warrior with two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield, ¹⁸ and next in line to him was Jehozabad with one hundred and eighty thousand men equipped for war. ¹⁹ These were the men in the service of the king, apart from those whom the king had stationed in fortified cities throughout all Judah.