2 Chronicles 20:20-30
New American Standard Bible
Enemies Destroy Themselves
20 They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: (A)Put your trust in the Lord your God and you will endure. Put your trust in His prophets, and succeed.” 21 When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who (B)praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “(C)Give thanks to the Lord, for His faithfulness is everlasting.” 22 When they began singing and praising, the Lord (D)set ambushes against the sons of (E)Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down. 23 For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, completely destroying them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, (F)they helped to destroy one another.
24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they turned toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and there was no survivor. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoils, they found much among them, including goods, [a]garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were taking the spoils for three days because there was so much.
Triumphant Return to Jerusalem
26 Then on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for they blessed the Lord there. Therefore they have named that place “The Valley of [b]Beracah” until today. 27 Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, (G)for the Lord had helped them to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 And (H)the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, (I)for his God gave him rest on all sides.
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- 2 Chronicles 20:25 As in several ancient mss; others corpses
- 2 Chronicles 20:26 I.e., blessing
2 Chronicles 20:20-30
International Standard Version
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
“Give thanks to the Lord,
because his gracious love is eternal!”
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.
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- 2 Chronicles 20:20 Lit. They
- 2 Chronicles 20:21 Lit. he
- 2 Chronicles 20:21 The Heb. lacks choir members
- 2 Chronicles 20:22 Or surprised; i.e. attacked the invaders from concealment
- 2 Chronicles 20:22 The Heb. lacks inhabitants of
- 2 Chronicles 20:22 This mountain, the modern Jebel esh-sherá, is located in the mountain range that extends south of the Dead Sea toward the Gulf of Aqaba, and is bordered by the Arabah Valley to the west.
- 2 Chronicles 20:23 Lit. destroying each man his neighbor
- 2 Chronicles 20:24 The Heb. lacks the army of
- 2 Chronicles 20:25 The Heb. lacks in a single day
- 2 Chronicles 20:26 The Heb. name Beracah means blessing
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