Chronological
Jehu the Seer Warns Jehoshaphat
19 After this, King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, 2 where Hanani’s son Jehu, the seer, went out to meet him. He asked king Jehoshaphat, “Should you be helping those who are wicked, yes or no? Should you love those who hate the Lord? Wrath is headed your way directly from the Lord because of this. 3 Nevertheless, a few good things have been found in you, in that you have removed the Asheroth[a] from the land and you have disciplined yourself to seek God.”
Judges are Appointed
4 Jehoshaphat continued to live in Jerusalem, but he travelled again throughout the people from Beer-sheba to Mount Ephraim, bringing them back to the Lord God of their ancestors 5 and appointing judges throughout the land in all of the walled cities of Judah, city by city. He issued this reminder to the judges:
6 “Pay careful attention to your duties, because you are judging not only for the sake of human beings but also for the Lord —and he is present with you as you make your rulings. 7 So let the fear of the Lord rest upon you, be on your guard, and act carefully, because with the Lord our God there is neither injustice, nor partiality, nor bribery.”
8 In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat also appointed certain descendants of Levi, priests, and family leaders of Israel to render verdicts for the Lord and to decide difficult cases. Their offices were in Jerusalem. 9 He issued this reminder to them:
“You are to carry out your duties in the fear of the Lord, serving him[b] faithfully[c] with your whole heart. 10 No matter what case comes before you from your fellow citizens who live in their own cities, whether it’s a dispute between blood relatives[d] or a dispute regarding the Law and the commands, statutes, or verdicts, you are to warn the parties[e] so that they do not become guilty in the Lord’s presence and so that anger does not come upon you and your fellow citizens. 11 Take notice, please, that Amariah the Chief Priest is presiding over all cases[f] that pertain to the Lord, Ishmael’s son Zebadiah is presiding as ruler of the household of Judah with respect to all cases that pertain to the national government,[g] and the descendants of Levi will preside over your other civil cases.[h] Serve courageously, and the Lord will be with the upright.”
Judah is Invaded Unexpectedly
20 Sometime after these events, the Moabites and the Ammonites, accompanied by some other descendants of Ammon,[i] attacked Jehoshaphat and started a war. 2 Jehoshaphat’s military advisors[j] came and informed him, “We’ve been attacked by a vast invasion force from Aram,[k] beyond the Dead[l] Sea. Be advised—they’ve already reached Hazazon-tamar, also known as En-gedi.”
3 In mounting fear, Jehoshaphat devoted himself[m] to seek the Lord. He proclaimed a period of[n] fasting throughout all of the territory of[o] Judah, 4 and the tribe of[p] Judah assembled together to seek the Lord. People[q] came from all of the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.
Jehoshaphat Prays and the People Wait
5 Jehoshaphat stood among the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the Lord’s Temple in the vicinity of the new court 6 and said:
“Lord God of our ancestors, you are the God who lives in heaven, are you not? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, don’t you? In your own hands you grasp both strength and power, don’t you? As a result, no one can oppose you, can they? 7 You are our God, who expelled the former inhabitants of this land right in front of our people Israel, aren’t you? Then you gave it to your friend Abraham’s descendant[r] forever, didn’t you? 8 They lived in it and have built there a sanctuary for your name, where they said, 9 ‘If evil comes upon us, such as war[s] as punishment, disease, or famine and we stand in your presence in this Temple (because your Name is in this Temple) and cry out to you in our distress, then you will hear and deliver.’ 10 Now therefore look! The Ammonites, the Moabites, and the inhabitants of[t] Mount Seir,[u] whom you would not permit Israel to attack when they arrived from the land of Egypt—since they turned away from them and did not eliminate them— 11 Look how they’re rewarding us! They’re coming to drive us from your property that you gave us to be our inheritance. 12 Our God, you are going to punish them, aren’t you? We have no strength to face this vast multitude that has come against us, nor do we know what to do, except that our eyes are on you.”
13 All of Judah was standing in the Lord’s presence, along with their little babies, their wives, and their children.
The Prophetic Response of Jahaziel
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Zechariah’s son Jahaziel, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a descendant of Levi from the descendants of Asaph in the middle of the assembly, and he said:
15 “Pay attention, everyone in Judah, in Jerusalem, and you, too, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Stop being afraid, and stop being discouraged because of this vast invasion force,[v] because the battle doesn’t belong to you, but to God. 16 Tomorrow you are to go down to attack them. Pay attention, now—they’ll be coming up near the ascent of Ziz.[w] You’ll find them at the end of the valley that looks out over the Jeruel wilderness. 17 You won’t be fighting in this battle. Take your stand, but stand still, and watch the Lord’s salvation on your behalf, Judah and Jerusalem! Never fear and never be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, since the Lord is with you.’”
18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face[x] to the ground, and all the assembled inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem fell face down in the Lord’s presence and worshipped the Lord. 19 Descendants of Levi from the descendants of Kohath and from the descendants of Korah stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel in a very loud voice that ascended to heaven.[y]
Jehoshaphat’s Instructions the Next Morning
20 The army[z] 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[aa] appointed some choir members[ab] 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[ac] the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of[ad] Mount Seir[ae] 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![af]
24 When the army of[ag] 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.[ah] 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[ai] 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.
A Summary of Jehoshaphat’s Reign(A)
31 Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah, having become king at the age of 35. He reigned in Jerusalem for 25 years. His mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He followed the example of his father Asa and never departed from it, practicing what the Lord considered to be right. 33 However, the high places were not removed, since the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their ancestors. 34 The rest of Jehoshaphat’s accomplishments, from first to last, are recorded in the annals of Hanani’s son Jehu, which appears in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
Jehoshaphat’s Evil Alliance with Ahaziah
35 Sometime later, King Jehoshaphat of Judah entered into a military alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, acting wickedly by doing so. 36 He also agreed with King Ahaziah[aj] to build ships to sail toward Tarshish, which they built in Ezion-geber. 37 But Dodavahu’s son Eliezer from Mareshah prophesied in opposition to Jehoshaphat, “Because you have entered into an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your efforts.” So the ships were destroyed and were never able to sail for Tarshish.
Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat(B)
21 Jehoshaphat died, as had his ancestors, and was buried in the City of David alongside his ancestors. His son Jehoram became king in his place. 2 Jehoshaphat’s sons, Jehoram’s[ak] brothers, included Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah,[al] Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel.
3 Their father gave them many gifts made of silver, and gold, as well as valuable things, along with fortified cities in Judah, but he passed the kingdom to Jehoram because Jehoram was his firstborn. 4 But after Jehoram had assumed the throne and consolidated his rule over his father’s kingdom, he executed all of his brothers, along with some of the rulers of Israel. 5 Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 6 He lived like[am] the kings of Israel, following the example of Ahab’s dynasty, since he had married Ahab’s daughter, and he practiced what the Lord considered to be evil. 7 Nevertheless, the Lord was unwilling to destroy David’s dynasty because of the covenant that he had made with David, especially since he had promised to give him and to his sons the reigning presence of an heir[an] forever.
Edom Revolts(C)
8 Nevertheless, Edom revolted against Judah’s rule and set up their own king to rule them during Jehoram’s reign.[ao] 9 So Jehoram invaded Edom[ap] with his commanders and his chariots by night and killed the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. 10 Edom remains in revolt against Judah to this day. Libnah revolted against Jehoram’s rule, too, because he had abandoned the Lord God of his ancestors. 11 In addition to all of this, he built high places in the mountains of Judah, led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into cultic sexual immorality, and made Judah go astray.
Elijah Writes a Letter
12 After this, a letter arrived from Elijah the prophet. It said:
“This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: ‘You haven’t lived like your father Jehoshaphat and like King Asa of Judah. 13 Instead, you have lived like the kings of Israel by causing Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit cultic sexual immorality—just like Ahab’s dynasty did! And you’ve killed your brothers who were better than you—your own father’s dynasty! 14 Look what’s going to happen! The Lord is going to strike your people, your children, your wives, and everything you own with a massive tragedy. 15 And as for you, you will suffer from a serious disease of your bowels. Eventually, day-by-day you will excrete your own bowels because of this disease.”
16 The Lord also provoked the attitude of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians against Jehoram, 17 and they attacked Judah, invading it and carried off everything he owned in his royal palace, along with all of his sons and wives except for his youngest son Jehoahaz.[aq]
Jehoram’s Illness and Death(D)
18 After all of this happened, the Lord struck him in his bowels with an incurable illness. 19 In due course, as time passed, two years later[ar] his bowels came out because of his sickness and he died in agony. His people lit no memorial bonfire for him as they had done for his ancestors. 20 Jehoram[as] was 32 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. He left this earth[at]—to nobody’s regret—and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram(E)
22 The residents of Jerusalem made Jehoram’s[au] son Ahaziah[av] king in his place after the raiding party that had invaded the city with the Arabs had killed all of the older sons. That’s how Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king of Judah. 2 Ahaziah was 22[aw] years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, Omri’s granddaughter.
3 He followed the example[ax] of Ahab’s dynasty because his mother gave him evil counsel. 4 So he practiced what the Lord considered to be evil, just like Ahab’s dynasty had done, because after his father died, he was given advice that resulted in his destruction. 5 He followed their counsel and accompanied Ahab’s son Joram, king of Israel, to wage war against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans wounded Joram, 6 so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that he had received at Ramah in the battle against King Hazael of Aram. King Ahaziah of Judah, Jehoram’s son, went to visit Ahab’s son Joram, because he was wounded.
Ahaziah is Executed(F)
7 God used Ahaziah’s visit to Joram to destroy Ahaziah. As soon as he arrived, Ahaziah[ay] went out with Joram to attack Nimshi’s son Jehu, whom the Lord had appointed to eliminate Ahab’s dynasty. 8 And that’s exactly what happened. While Jehu was punishing[az] Ahab’s dynasty, he located the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who were ministering to Ahaziah, and he put them to death. 9 Jehu[ba] also searched for Ahaziah, had him apprehended while Ahaziah[bb] was hiding out in Samaria, and had Ahaziah[bc] brought to him. Jehu[bd] had Ahaziah[be] executed and buried. It was said of Jehu,[bf] “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all of his heart.” As a result, there was no one left in the household of Ahaziah strong enough to reign in the kingdom.
Athaliah’s Revolt(G)
10 As soon as Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah learned that her son had died, she set out to destroy the entire royal family of Judah. 11 However, the king’s daughter Jehoshabeath took Ahaziah’s son Joash away from the king’s children who were about to be assassinated and hid him and his nurse in a bedroom. That’s how King Jehoram’s daughter Jehoshabeath, who was also the priest Jehoiada’s wife and Ahaziah’s sister, hid him from Athaliah. As a result, she was not able to kill him. 12 Joash[bg] remained with them for six years, hidden in God’s Temple while Athaliah reigned over the land.
Jehoiada Establishes Joash as King(H)
23 Seven years later, Jehoiada mustered up some courage and made a deal with the officers who commanded units of hundreds of soldiers, including Jehoram’s son Azariah, Jehochanan’s son Ishmael, Obed’s son Azariah, Adaiah’s son Maaseiah, and Zichri’s son Elishaphat. 2 They traveled throughout Judah and gathered together the descendants of Levi from all the cities of Judah, along with the Israeli family leaders. 3 Everybody went to Jerusalem, and the whole group made a covenant with the king in God’s Temple, where Jehoiada[bh] addressed them:
“Look! The king’s son is going to rule, just as the Lord promised David’s descendants. 4 So here’s what you’ll need to do: One third of you priests and descendants of Levi who are on duty during the Sabbath will serve as guards at the temple gates. 5 Another third of you priests and descendants of Levi[bi] will take your places in the royal palace, while another third of you priests and descendants of Levi[bj] will stand near the Foundation Gate. The rest of you will remain in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. 6 Nobody is to enter the Lord’s Temple except for the priests and descendants of Levi who are on duty. They may enter because they are ceremonially holy, but all the rest of the people must observe the Lord’s instructions. 7 The descendants of Levi will surround the king, brandishing weapons in their hands, and anybody who enters the Temple will be killed. Stay near the king wherever he enters and leaves.”
8 What Jehoiada the priest ordered is precisely what the descendants of Levi and all of Judah did. Each of them took the men who were on duty on the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty. Jehoiada the priest did not release the divisions from service, 9 and Jehoiada the priest issued the spears and shields that King David had placed in storage in God’s Temple to the officers in charge of the units of hundreds. 10 He set the rest of the people to serve as guards for the king, and each one brandished weapons in his hand, from the south side of the Temple to the north side of the Temple, around the altar, and surrounding the palace. 11 Then he brought out the king’s son, put a crown on him, and presented him with the Testimony,[bk]
Joash is Crowned and Athaliah Executed(I)
12 When Athaliah heard all the commotion of the people running around and praising the king, she went straight to the Lord’s Temple to confront[bl] the people. 13 She looked around, and there was the king, standing by his pillar at the gate, accompanied by officers and trumpeters who stood beside the king, along with all the people of the land rejoicing and sounding trumpets while singers lead the celebration with their musical instruments. Athaliah tore her robes and yelled “Treason! Treason!”
14 But Jehoiada the priest summoned the captains of hundreds who had been appointed in charge over the army and ordered them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and execute anyone who follows her.” The priest also told them, “Don’t execute her in the Lord’s Temple.” 15 So they arrested her when she arrived at the entrance to the Horse Gate near the royal palace, and then they executed her there.
Jehoiada’s Reforms(J)
16 After this, Jehoiada drew up a covenant between himself as an individual with all the people, and between himself as king, that they would be the Lord’s people. 17 Then all the people went to the temple of Baal, broke its altars and idols to pieces, and executed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. 18 Jehoiada also placed the offices of the Lord’s Temple under the authority of the Levitical priests whom David had assigned over the Lord’s Temple, just as is required by the Law of Moses, to offer the Lord’s burnt offerings with joy and singing, just as David had ordered. 19 Jehoiada[bm] also stationed inspectors[bn] at the Lord’s Temple so that no one would enter who was ritually unclean in any manner. 20 He also took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the people’s governors, and all the people of the land, and they all marched with the king from the Lord’s Temple through the upper gate to the royal palace, where they installed the king on his royal throne. 21 There all of the people of the land rejoiced and the city stayed quiet, because they had executed Athaliah with a sword.
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