2 Chronicles 20:20-30
New English Translation
20 Early the next morning they marched out to the wilderness of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, you people of Judah[a] and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe![b] Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.” 21 He met[c] with the people and appointed musicians to play before the Lord and praise his majestic splendor. As they marched ahead of the warriors they said: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his loyal love endures.”[d]
22 When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked[e] the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir[f] who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir[g] and annihilated them.[h] When they had finished off the men[i] of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another.[j] 24 When the men of Judah[k] arrived at the observation post overlooking the wilderness and looked at[l] the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors. 25 Jehoshaphat and his men[m] went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount of supplies, clothing,[n] and valuable items. They carried away everything they could.[o] There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off.[p]
26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where[q] they praised the Lord. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah[r] to this very day. 27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat leading them; the Lord had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem to the sound of stringed instruments and trumpets and proceeded to the temple of the Lord. 29 All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God[s] when they heard how the Lord had fought against Israel’s enemies. 30 Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace; his God made him secure on every side.[t]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Chronicles 20:20 tn Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
- 2 Chronicles 20:20 tn There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (haʾaminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (teʾamenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ʾaman).
- 2 Chronicles 20:21 tn Or “consulted.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:21 tn Or “is eternal.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:22 tn Heb “set ambushers against.” This is probably idiomatic here for launching a surprise attack.
- 2 Chronicles 20:22 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:23 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the residents of Mount Seir.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:23 tn Heb “to annihilate and to destroy.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:23 tn Heb “residents.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:23 tn Heb “they helped, each one his fellow, for destruction.” The verb עָזַר (ʿazar), traditionally understood as the well-attested verb meaning “to help,” is an odd fit in this context. It is possible that it is from a homonymic root, perhaps meaning to “attack.” This root is attested in Ugaritic in a nominal form meaning “young man, warrior, hero.” For a discussion of the proposed root, see HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר.
- 2 Chronicles 20:24 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 20:24 tn Heb “turned toward.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:25 tn Or “army.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:25 tc The MT reads פְגָרִים (fegarim, “corpses”), but this seems odd among a list of plunder. A few medieval Hebrew mss and the Vulgate read בְגָדִים (vegadim, “clothing”), which fits the context much better.
- 2 Chronicles 20:25 tn Heb “and they snatched away for themselves so that there was no carrying away.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:25 tn Heb “and they were three days looting the plunder for it was great.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:26 tn Heb “for there.”
- 2 Chronicles 20:26 sn The name Berachah, which means “blessing” in Hebrew, is derived from the verbal root “to praise [or “to bless”],” which appears earlier in the verse.
- 2 Chronicles 20:29 tn Heb “and the terror of God [or “a great terror”] was upon all the kingdoms of the lands.” It is uncertain if אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim) should be understood as a proper name here (“God”), or taken in an idiomatic superlative sense.
- 2 Chronicles 20:30 tn Heb “and his God gave him rest all around.”
2 Chronicles 20:20-30
New Living Translation
20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”
21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:
“Give thanks to the Lord;
his faithful love endures forever!”
22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. 23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. 24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing,[a] and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing,[b] which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
27 Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. 28 They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord.
29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. 30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
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