Jehoshaphat rules Judah

17 Asa’s son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king. Jehoshaphat strengthened his position against Israel ² by stationing troops in the fortified cities of Judah and placing soldiers throughout the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured. ³ The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the earlier ways of his father^[a] by not seeking Baal. ⁴ Instead, he sought the God of his father, and unlike Israel, he followed God’s commandments. ⁵ The Lord gave him firm control over the kingdom, and all Judah brought Jehoshaphat tribute, so that he had abundant riches and honor. ⁶ Jehoshaphat took pride in the Lord’s ways and again removed the shrines and the sacred poles^[b] from Judah.

⁷ In the third year of his rule, Jehoshaphat sent his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah. ⁸ They were accompanied by the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah, and by the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹ They taught throughout Judah. They brought with them the Lord’s Instruction scroll as they made their rounds to all the cities of Judah, teaching the people.

¹⁰ All the kingdoms surrounding Judah were afraid of the Lord and didn’t wage war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Some of the Philistines brought a load of silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat. The Arabians also brought flocks to Jehoshaphat: seventy-seven hundred rams and seventy-seven hundred goats. ¹² As Jehoshaphat grew increasingly powerful, he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah ¹³ and had many supplies in the cities of Judah. He also had an army of mighty warriors in Jerusalem, ¹⁴ registered by their clans as follows: Judah’s officers over units of a thousand included Commander Adnah with three hundred thousand soldiers; ¹⁵ next to him was Commander Jehohanan with two hundred eighty thousand soldiers; ¹⁶ at his side was Amasiah, Zichri’s son, who volunteered for the Lord with two hundred thousand soldiers. ¹⁷ From Benjamin came a valiant warrior: Eliada, together with two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸ next to him was Jehozabad, together with one hundred eighty thousand soldiers. ¹⁹ These were the individuals who served the king in addition to those the king placed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.