Beginning

18 Now Yehoshaphat had osher and kavod in abundance, and allied himself with Ach’av.

² And l’ketz shanim he went down to Ach’av in Shomron. And Ach’av killed tzon and bakar for him in abundance, and for HaAm that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramot Gil’ad.

³ And Ach’av Melech Yisroel said unto Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramot Gil’ad? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the milchamah.

⁴ And Yehoshaphat said unto the Melech Yisroel, Inquire, now at the Devar Hashem today.

⁵ Therefore the Melech Yisroel gathered together of nevi’im four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to war against Ramot Gil’ad, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for HaElohim will deliver it into the yad HaMelech.

⁶ But Yehoshaphat said, Is there not here a navi of Hashem, that we might inquire of him?

⁷ And the Melech Yisroel said unto Yehoshaphat, There is yet ish echad (one man), by whom we may inquire of Hashem, but I hate him because he never prophesied for tov about me, but always ra’ah; the same is Mikhay’hu ben Imla. And Yehoshaphat said, HaMelech should not say that.

⁸ And the Melech Yisroel called for one of his officials, and said, Bring at once Mikhay’hu ben Imla.

⁹ And the Melech Yisroel and Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah sat either of them on his kisse, clothed in their begadim, and they sat in the goren (threshing floor) at the petach (entrance) Sha’ar Shomron; and all the nevi’im prophesied before them.

¹⁰ And Tzidkiyahu ben Kena’anah had made him karnayim of barzel, and said, Thus saith Hashem, With these thou shalt gore Aram (Syria) until they be consumed.

¹¹ And all the nevi’im prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramot Gil’ad, and be victorious, for Hashem shall deliver it into the yad HaMelech.

¹² And the malach that went to call Mikhay’hu spoke to him, saying, Hinei, the divrei hanevi’im declare tov to HaMelech with peh echad (one mouth); let thy word therefore, now, be like one of theirs, and speak thou tov.

¹³ And Mikhay’hu said, As Hashem liveth, only what Elohai saith, that will I speak.

¹⁴ And when he was come to HaMelech, HaMelech said unto him, Mikhay’hu, shall we go to war against Ramot Gil’ad, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and be victorious, and they shall be delivered into your yad.

¹⁵ And HaMelech said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the emes to me in the Shem of Hashem?

¹⁶ Then he said, I saw kol Yisroel scattered upon the mountains, like tzon that have no ro’eh, and Hashem said, These have no adonim; let them return therefore every ish to his bais in shalom.

¹⁷ And the Melech Yisroel said to Yehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy tov unto me, but rah?

¹⁸ Again he said, Therefore hear the Devar Hashem: I saw Hashem sitting upon His Kisse, and all Tzva HaShomayim standing on his right and on his left.

¹⁹ And Hashem said, Who shall entice Ach’av Melech Yisroel, that he may go up and fall at Ramot Gil’ad? And one spoke saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.

²⁰ Then there came out a ruach, and stood before Hashem, and said, I will entice him. And Hashem said unto him, How?

²¹ And he said, I will go out, and be a ruach sheker (lying spirit) in the mouth of all his nevi’im. And Hashem said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also succeed; go out, and do even so.

²² Now therefore, hinei, Hashem hath put a ruach sheker in the mouth of these thy nevi’im, and Hashem hath decreed ra’ah against thee.

²³ Then Tzidkiyahu ben Kena’anah came near, and struck Mikhay’hu upon the lechi (cheek), and said, Which way went the Ruach Hashem from me to speak unto thee?

²⁴ And Mikhay’hu said, Thou shalt find out on that yom when thou shalt go into cheder b’cheder (inner chamber) to hide thyself.

²⁵ Then the Melech Yisroel said, Take ye Mikhay’hu, and carry him back to Amon Sar HaIr, and to Yoash ben HaMelech,

²⁶ And say, Thus saith HaMelech, Put this in the bais hakeleh, and feed him with only a scanty prison diet of lechem and only mayim, until I return b’shalom.

²⁷ And Mikhay’hu said, If thou certainly return in shalom, then hath not Hashem spoken by me. And he said, Mark words, all ye people.

²⁸ So the Melech Yisroel and Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah went up to Ramot Gil’ad.

²⁹ And the Melech Yisroel said unto Yehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and I will go to the milchamah; but put thou on thy robes. So the Melech Yisroel disguised himself; and they went to the milchamah.

³⁰ Now Melech Aram had commanded the commanders of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight ye not with katon or gadol, only with the Melech Yisroel.

³¹ And it came to pass, when the commanders of the chariots saw Yehoshaphat, that they said, It is the Melech Yisroel. Therefore they surrounded him to fight, but Yehoshaphat cried out, and Hashem helped him; and Elohim moved them away from him.

³² For it came to pass, that, when the commanders of the chariots perceived that it was not Melech Yisroel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³³ And an ish drew a keshet at random, and struck Melech Yisroel between the devakim (joints) of the shiryon (armor); therefore he said to his chariot driver, Turn thine yad, that thou mayest take me out of the machaneh, for I am wounded.

³⁴ And the milchamah increased that day. Howbeit the Melech Yisroel propped himself up in his merkavah facing Aram (the Syrians) until the erev; and about the time of the shemesh going down he died. [T.N. This story illustrates the great difficulty in being a preacher that people will listen to: they want to hear what they want to hear, and, being set in their ways, have decided to mold the House of G-d to their stubbornness, rather than change or grow in the L-rd]

19 And Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah returned to his Bais (Palace) in shalom in Yerushalayim.

² And Yehu ben Chanani HaChozer (the Seer) went out to meet him, and said to HaMelech Yehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the rasha, and love them that hate Hashem? Therefore ketzef (wrath) is upon thee from before Hashem.

³ Nevertheless there are devarim tovim (good things) found in thee, in that thou hast removed HaAsherot from HaAretz, and hast prepared thine lev to seek HaElohim.

⁴ And Yehoshaphat dwelt in Yerushalayim; and he went out again among HaAm from Beer Sheva to Mt Ephrayim, and he turned them back unto Hashem Elohei Avoteihem.

⁵ And he appointed Shofetim in HaAretz throughout all the fortified cities of Yehudah, city by city,

⁶ And said to the Shofetim, Take heed what ye do, for ye judge not for adam, but for Hashem, Who is with you in the devar mishpat (verdict).

⁷ Wherefore now let the Pachad Hashem be upon you; be shomer and do it, for there is no avlah (injustice) with Hashem Eloheinu, nor massa panim (respect of persons), nor mikkach shochad (taking of bribes).

⁸ Moreover in Yerushalayim did Yehoshaphat station Levi’im, and Kohanim, and Rashei HaAvot Yisroel, for the Mishpat Hashem, and for riv (disputes), and they returned to Yerushalayim.

⁹ And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the yirat Hashem, be’emunah and with a levav shalem.

¹⁰ And what riv soever shall come before you of your achim that dwell in your cities, between dahm and dahm, between torah and mitzvah, chukkot and mishpatim, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against Hashem, and so ketzef (wrath) come upon you, and upon your achim; this do, and ye shall not trespass.

¹¹ And, hinei, Amaryahu Kohen HaRosh is over you in all matters of Hashem; and Zevadyahu ben Yishmael, the Nagid of the Bais Yehudah, for all the matters of HaMelech; also the Levi’im shall be shoterim (officers) before you. Deal courageously, and Hashem be with hatov.

20 It came to pass after this also, that the Bnei Moav, and the Bnei Ammon, and with them some Ammonim, came against Yehoshaphat to make milchamah.

² Then there came some that told Yehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the Yam (Dead Sea), from Aram; and, hinei, they are in Chatzatzon-Tamar, which is Ein-Gedi.

³ And Yehoshaphat feared, and set his face to inquire of Hashem, and proclaimed a tzom throughout all Yehudah.

⁴ And Yehudah gathered themselves together, to ask help of Hashem, even from all the towns of Yehudah they came to seek help of Hashem.

⁵ And Yehoshaphat stood in the Kehal Yehudah and Yerushalayim, in the Beis Hashem, before the khatzer hachadashah,

⁶ And he said, Hashem Elohei Avoteinu, art not Thou Elohim in Shomayim? And moshel (rulest) not Thou over kol mamlechot haGoyim? And in Thine yad is there not ko’ach and gevurah, so that none is able to withstand thee?

⁷ Art not Thou Eloheinu, Who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before Thy people Yisroel, and gavest it to the Zera Avraham ohav’cha l’olam (Thy friend forever)?

⁸ And they dwelt therein, and have built Thee a Mikdash therein for Thy Shem, saying,

⁹ If, when ra’ah cometh upon us, as the cherev, shefot, or dever, or ra’av (famine), we stand before HaBeis HaZeh, and in Thy presence, (for Thy Shem is in HaBeis HaZeh,) and cry unto Thee in tzarateinu (our affliction), then Thou wilt hear and save.

¹⁰ And now, hinei, the Bnei Ammon and Moav and Mt Seir, whom Thou wouldest not let Yisroel invade, when they came out of Eretz Mitzrayim, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not,

¹¹ Hinei, what gomelim (ones repaying) they are to us, to come to drive us out of Thy yerushah (inheritance), which Thou hast given us.

¹² O Eloheinu, wilt Thou not judge them? For we have no ko’ach against this great multitude that cometh against us; neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee.

¹³ And all Yehudah stood before Hashem, with their little ones, their nashim, and their banim.

¹⁴ Then upon Yachziel ben Zecharyahu ben Benayah ben Ye’i’el ben Matanyah, a Levi of the Bnei Asaph, came the Ruach Hashem in the midst of the Kahal,

¹⁵ And he said, Pay heed ye, all Yehudah, and ye inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and thou Melech Yehoshaphat. Thus saith Hashem unto you: Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the milchamah is not yours, but that of Elohim.

¹⁶ Makhar (tomorrow) go ye down against them; hinei, they come up by the Ascent of Tzitz; and ye shall find them at the end of the wadi, before the midbar of Yeruel.

¹⁷ Ye shall not need to fight in this; take up your battle positions, stand ye firm, and see the Yeshuat Hashem with you, O Yehudah and Yerushalayim. Fear not, nor be dismayed; makhar (tomorrow) go out against them, for Hashem will be with you.

¹⁸ And Yehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Yehudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim fell down before Hashem, worshiping Hashem.

¹⁹ And the Levi’im, of the Bnei HaKehatim, and of the Bnei HaKorchim, stood up to praise Hashem Elohei Yisroel with an exceeding kol gadol.

²⁰ And they rose early in the boker, and went forth into the Midbar Tekoa; and as they went forth, Yehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Yehudah, and ye inhabitants of Yerushalayim. Ha’aminu BaHashem Eloheichem (Believe in Hashem Eloheichem), so shall ye be established; have faith in His Nevi’im, so shall ye be victorious.

²¹ And when he had consulted with HaAm, he appointed meshorarim (singers) unto Hashem, and that should praise the hadrat kodesh, as they went out before the army, and to say, Hodu L’Adonoi ki l’olam chasdo (Give thanks to Hashem, for His mercy endureth forever).

²² And when they began with rinnah and tehillah, Hashem set me’arevim (ambushers) against the Bnei Ammon, Moav, and Mt Seir, which were come against Yehudah, and they were struck down.

²³ For the Bnei Ammon and Moav stood up against the inhabitants of Mt Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

²⁴ And when Yehudah came toward the mitzpeh (guard tower) in the midbar, they looked toward the multitude, and, hinei, they were pegarim (corpses) fallen on the ground, and there was no escapee.

²⁵ And when Yehoshaphat and his people came to carry off the plunder of them, they found among them in abundance both property with the pegarim, and articles of value, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away, and they were yamim shelosha in gathering of the plunder, it was so much.

²⁶ And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the Berachah Valley, for there they blessed Hashem; therefore the shem of that place was called, The Berachah Valley unto this day.

²⁷ Then they returned, kol ish Yehudah and Yerushalayim, and Yehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Yerushalayim with simcha; for Hashem had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

²⁸ And they came to Yerushalayim with nevalim and kinnorot and chatzotzerot unto the Beis Hashem.

²⁹ And the Pachad Elohim was on all the kingdoms of those lands, when they had heard that Hashem fought against the oyevei Yisroel.

³⁰ So the Malchut Yehoshaphat was at peace, for Elohav gave him rest on every side.

³¹ And Yehoshaphat reigned over Yehudah. He was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Yerushalayim. And shem immo was Azuvah bat Shilchi.

³² And he walked in the derech Aviv Asa, and departed not from it, doing that which was yashar in the sight of Hashem.

³³ Howbeit the high places were not removed; for HaAm as yet had not set their hearts unto Elohei Avoteihem.

³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Yehoshaphat, harishonim and ha’acharonim, hinei, they are written in the Annals of Yehu ben Chanani, who is recorded in the Sefer of the Melachim of Yisroel.

³⁵ And after this did Yehoshaphat Melech Yehudah join himself in alliance with Achazyah Melech Yisroel, who did very wickedly;

³⁶ And he joined himself with him to make oniyot (ships) to go to Tarshish, and they made the oniyot in Etzyon-Gever.

³⁷ Then Eliezer ben Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Yehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself in alliance with Achazyahu, Hashem hath wrecked thy ma’asim. And the oniyot were wrecked, that they were not able to sail to Tarshish. [T.N. Yehoshaphat had a weakness for entangling himself with non-believers and suffering the consequences.]