Jehoshaphat’s Instructions the Next Morning

²⁰ The army^[a] got up early the next morning and headed out into the wilderness of Tekoa. Jehoshaphat stood up and addressed them. “Listen to me, you inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem,” he said. “Have faith in the Lord your God and you’ll be established! Have faith in his prophets and you’ll succeed!” ²¹ After he had consulted with the people, Jehoshaphat^[b] appointed some choir members^[c] to sing to the Lord and to praise him in sacred splendor as they marched out in front of the armed forces. They kept saying

²² Right on time, as they began to sing and praise, the Lord ambushed^[d] the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of^[e] Mount Seir^[f] who had attacked Judah, and they were defeated. ²³ The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the inhabitants of Mount Seir, destroying them, and after they had finished with the inhabitants of Mount Seir, they worked on destroying one another!^[g]

²⁴ When the army of^[h] Judah arrived at the remotest watchtower in the wilderness, they looked around at the invasion force, and to their surprise, there were dead bodies lying all around on the ground—not one had escaped! ²⁵ Later on, when Jehoshaphat and his army arrived to collect the spoils of war, they discovered there were far more goods, garments, and other valuable items to collect than they could carry off in a single day.^[i] There was so much material that it took three days to finish their collection efforts.

A Victory Celebration in Beracah Valley

²⁶ Three days later, they assembled together in the Beracah Valley, where they blessed the Lord, which is why the name of that place is called Beracah^[j] Valley to this day. ²⁷ Then they all returned with joy to Jerusalem, every soldier from Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at the head of the procession, because the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸ They proceeded directly to the Lord’s Temple, carrying lyres, harps, and trumpets. ²⁹ Fear of God seized all of the kingdoms in the surrounding territories when they heard that the Lord had battled Israel’s enemies. ³⁰ As a result, Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace, because his God had provided rest for him all around.