Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close NET

2 Chronicles 20:5-12
New English Translation

5 Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the Lord’s temple, in front of the new courtyard. 6 He prayed: “O Lord God of our ancestors,[a] you are the God who lives in heaven[b] and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you. 7 Our God, you drove out[c] the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession[d] to the descendants of your friend[e] Abraham. 8 They settled down in it and built in it a temple[f] to honor you,[g] saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack,[h] judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple.[i] We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will[j] hear and deliver us.’ 10 Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming![k] When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands.[l] They bypassed them and did not destroy them. 11 Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land which you assigned to us! 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us. We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help.”[m]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 20:6 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33).
  2. 2 Chronicles 20:6 tn Heb “are you not God in heaven?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “yes,” resulting in the positive statement “you are the God who lives in heaven” employed in the translation.
  3. 2 Chronicles 20:7 tn Heb “did you not drive out . . . ?” This is another rhetorical question which expects a positive response; see the note on the word “heaven” in the previous verse.
  4. 2 Chronicles 20:7 tn Heb “permanently.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 20:7 tn Or perhaps “your covenantal partner.” See Isa 41:8.
  6. 2 Chronicles 20:8 tn Or “sanctuary.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 20:8 tn Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you”).
  8. 2 Chronicles 20:9 tn Heb “sword.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 20:9 tn Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. In this case the temple is referred to as a “house” where the Lord himself can reside.
  10. 2 Chronicles 20:9 tn Or “so that you may.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 20:10 tn Heb “now, look, the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 20:10 tn Heb “whom you did not allow Israel to enter when they came from the land of Egypt.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 20:12 tn Heb “for [or “indeed”] upon you are our eyes.”
Listen to 2 Chronicles 20:5-12
Close CSB

2 Chronicles 20:5-12
Christian Standard Bible

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the Lord’s temple before the new courtyard. 6 He said:

Lord, God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven,(A) and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations?(B) Power and might are in your hand, and no one can stand against you. 7 Are you not our God who drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel(C) and who gave it forever to the descendants of Abraham(D) your friend? 8 They have lived in the land and have built you a sanctuary in it for your name and have said, 9 “If disaster comes on us—sword or judgment, pestilence or famine(E)—we will stand before this temple and before you, for your name is in this temple.(F) We will cry out to you because of our distress, and you will hear and deliver.”

10 Now here are the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir.(G) You did not let Israel invade them when Israel came out of the land of Egypt, but Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.(H) 11 Look how they repay us by coming to drive us out of your possession that you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them?(I) For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you.[a](J)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 20:12 Lit but on you our eyes
Next
2 Chronicles 19
2 Chronicles 21
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.