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]
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- 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
Common English Bible
20 Early the next morning they went into the Tekoa wilderness. When they were about to go out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and every inhabitant of Jerusalem! Trust the Lord your God, and you will stand firm; trust his prophets and succeed!”
21 After consulting with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed musicians to play for the Lord, praising his majestic holiness. They were to march out before the warriors, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord because his faithful love lasts forever!” 22 As they broke into joyful song and praise, the Lord launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites, the Moabites, and those from Mount Seir who were invading Judah, so that they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and the Moabites turned on those from Mount Seir, completely destroying them. Once they had finished off the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy each other!
24 When Judah arrived at the point overlooking the wilderness, all they could see were corpses lying all over the ground. There were no survivors. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his army came to take the loot, they found a great amount of cattle,[a] goods, clothing,[b] and other valuables—much more than they could carry. In fact, there was so much it took three days to haul it away. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in Blessing Valley, where they blessed the Lord. That’s why it is called Blessing Valley to this day. 27 Then everyone from Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at their head, joyfully returned home to Jerusalem because the Lord had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem accompanied by harps, lutes, and trumpets, and they went to the Lord’s temple.
29 The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against Israel’s enemies. 30 As a result, Jehoshaphat’s rule was peaceful because his God gave him rest on all sides.
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- 2 Chronicles 20:25 LXX; MT among them
- 2 Chronicles 20:25 Vulg; MT corpses
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