2 Krönikeboken 20
nuBibeln (Swedish Contemporary Bible)
Joshafat besegrar Moab och Ammon
20 Sedan kom moabiterna och ammoniterna och en del av meuniterna för att strida mot Joshafat. 2 Joshafat fick följande rapport: ”En enorm armé marscherar mot dig från landet på andra sidan Döda havet, från Edom. Den befinner sig redan vid Haseson Tamar, dvs. En-Gedi.”
3 Joshafat blev rädd och bestämde sig för att rådfråga Herren. Han utlyste en fasta i hela Juda. 4 Folket från Juda samlades för att söka hjälp hos Herren, ja, de kom från alla städer i Juda för att söka Herrens hjälp. 5 Joshafat ställde sig mitt ibland dem, där de var samlade från Juda och Jerusalem i Herrens hus, framför den nya förgården. 6 Han sa:
”Herre, våra fäders Gud, är inte du Gud i himlen, härskaren över alla folkens riken? I din hand är makt och styrka, och ingen kan stå emot dig. 7 Var det inte du, vår Gud, som drev ut invånarna här i landet för ditt folk Israel? Gav inte du det här landet åt din vän Abrahams ättlingar för evigt? 8 De bosatte sig där och byggde en helgedom åt ditt namn och sa: 9 ’Om olycka, krig, pest eller hungersnöd drabbar oss, kan vi stå här framför detta tempel och inför dig, vars namn templet bär, och ropa till dig i vår förtvivlan. Då ska du höra oss och rädda oss.’
10 Se nu, folk från Ammon, Moab och Seirs bergsbygd, genom vilkas land du inte lät israeliterna gå när de kom från Egypten, så de gick runt och utrotade dem inte, 11 se nu hur de lönar oss! De har kommit för att driva ut oss ur den egendom som du har gett oss. 12 O vår Gud, tänker du inte döma dem? Vi står maktlösa mot denna väldiga armé som har kommit emot oss. Vi vet inte vad vi ska göra, men vi har våra ögon riktade på dig.”
13 Alla judéer stod där inför Herren med hela sina familjer, sina hustrur och barn. 14 Då kom Herrens Ande över Jachasiel, son till Sakarja, son till Benaja, son till Jeiel, son till leviten Mattanja, en ättling till Asaf, där han stod mitt i församlingen.
15 ”Hör på mig, allt folk i Juda och ni som bor i Jerusalem och du, kung Joshafat!” sa han. ”Så säger Herren till er: ’Var inte rädda och bli inte förskräckta över denna väldiga armé! Striden är inte er utan Guds. 16 Gå till anfall mot dem i morgon! De är på väg upp vid Sisbranten, och ni kommer att möta dem vid slutet av bäckravinen invid Jeruels öken. 17 Men det är inte ni som ska strida. Inta era ställningar och stå stilla och se hur Herren räddar er, Juda och Jerusalem! Var inte rädda och missmodiga! Gå dit ut i morgon och möt dem, för Herren är med er!’ ”
18 Då föll kung Joshafat ner på marken med ansiktet mot jorden, och allt folk i Juda och Jerusalem kastade sig ner och tillbad Herren. 19 Sedan reste sig leviterna av Kehats och Korachs släkter upp och prisade och tackade Herren, Israels Gud, med hög röst.
20 Tidigt följande morgon drog de ut i Tekoas öken. Inför uppbrottet steg Joshafat fram och talade till dem: ”Lyssna här till mig, Juda och ni som bor i Jerusalem! Tro på Herren, er Gud, så ska ni bestå! Tro på hans profeter, så ska det gå er väl.”
21 Efter att ha rådgjort med folket, utsåg han sångare som i helig skrud skulle prisa Herren, medan de drog ut framför armén och sjunga:
”Tacka Herren,
för hans nåd varar för evigt.”
22 När de började sjunga och lovprisa, lät Herren ett angrepp komma bakifrån på folket från Ammon, Moab och Seirs bergsbygd, som dragit ut mot Juda, och de blev slagna. 23 Ammoniterna och moabiterna vände sig mot män från Seirs bergsbygd för att förinta dem och utplåna dem allesammans, och när de gjort slut på dem, hjälptes de åt med att förgöra varandra.
24 När judéerna kom fram till det vakttorn som vette mot öknen och blickade mot den stora armén, såg de bara döda kroppar ligga på marken; inte en enda hade undkommit.
25 Joshafat och hans folk gick sedan ut för att ta byte, och de fann där mängder av gods, kläder[a] och värdefulla föremål, mer än de kunde bära. Det var så mycket att det tog dem tre dagar att få med sig allt. 26 Den fjärde dagen samlades de i Lovsångsdalen för att prisa Herren. Därför heter platsen än idag Lovsångsdalen.
27 Sedan återvände alla män från Juda till Jerusalem, med Joshafat i spetsen, glada, eftersom Herren gett dem glädje över deras fiender. 28 De kom till Jerusalem med harpor, lyror och trumpeter och gick fram till Herrens hus.
29 Fruktan för Gud kom över alla riken när de hörde att Herren själv hade stridit mot Israels fiender. 30 Och nu blev det lugn och ro i Joshafats rike, för Gud hade gett honom fred på alla sidor.
Joshafats regeringstid
(1 Kung 22:41-50)
31 Joshafat var så kung över Juda. Han var trettiofem år gammal när han blev kung och regerade tjugofem år i Jerusalem. Hans mor var Asuva, dotter till Shilchi. 32 Joshafat följde sin far Asa utan att vika av från den vägen och gjorde det som var rätt inför Herren. 33 Dock avskaffade han inte offerplatserna, och folket hade inte vänt sina hjärtan till sina fäders Gud. 34 Joshafats historia i övrigt, från början till slut, är nedtecknad i Jehus, Hananis sons, krönika, som ingår i boken om Israels kungar.
35 Senare ingick Juda kung Joshafat en allians med Achasja, kungen i Israel, som gjorde mycket ont. 36 Joshafat kom överens med honom att bygga fartyg som skulle segla till Tarshish. Dessa byggdes i Esjon-Gever. 37 Då profeterade Elieser, Dodias son från Maresha, mot Joshafat och sa till honom: ”Eftersom du har allierat dig med Achasja, ska Herren låta det du gjort bli förstört.” Fartygen råkade ut för missöden och kunde aldrig segla till Tarshish.
Footnotes
- 20:25 Enligt den masoretiska texten döda kroppar. Översättningen följer här andra handskrifter och bl.a. Vulgatas översättning.
2 Chronicles 20
King James Version
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.
2 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.
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 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.
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,
6 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?
7 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?
8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
9 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.
2 Chronicles 20
English Standard Version
Jehoshaphat's Prayer
20 After this (A)the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,[a] came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,[b] from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in (B)Hazazon-tamar” (that is, (C)Engedi). 3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face (D)to seek the Lord, and (E)proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not (F)God in heaven? You (G)rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. (H)In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7 Did you not, our God, (I)drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of (J)Abraham your friend? 8 And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9 (K)‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,[c] or pestilence, or famine, (L)we will stand before this house and before you—(M)for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ 10 And now behold, the men of (N)Ammon and Moab and (O)Mount Seir, whom (P)you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, (Q)and whom they avoided and did not destroy— 11 behold, they reward us (R)by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will you not (S)execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but (T)our eyes are on you.”
13 Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14 And (U)the Spirit of the Lord came[d] upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, (V)‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, (W)for the battle is not yours but God's. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of (X)the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 (Y)You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ (Z)Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, (AA)and the Lord will be with you.”
18 Then Jehoshaphat (AB)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 And the Levites, of the (AC)Kohathites and the (AD)Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 And they rose early in the morning and went out into (AE)the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! (AF)Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him (AG)in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
(AH)“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his steadfast love endures forever.”
22 And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set (AI)an ambush against the men of (AJ)Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 23 For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, (AK)they all helped to destroy one another.
The Lord Delivers Judah
24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there[e] were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,[f] for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, (AL)for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 (AM)And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, (AN)for his God gave him rest all around.
31 (AO)Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. 33 (AP)The high places, however, were not taken away; (AQ)the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of (AR)Jehu the son of Hanani, (AS)which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
The End of Jehoshaphat's Reign
35 (AT)After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. 36 He joined him in building ships to go to (AU)Tarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, (AV)“Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 20:1 Compare 26:7; Hebrew Ammonites
- 2 Chronicles 20:2 One Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts Aram (Syria)
- 2 Chronicles 20:9 Or the sword of judgment
- 2 Chronicles 20:14 Or was
- 2 Chronicles 20:24 Hebrew they
- 2 Chronicles 20:26 Beracah means blessing
Swedish Contemporary Bible (nuBibeln) Copyright © 2015 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
