The Daily Audio Bible
19 When King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home safely to Jerusalem, 2 the prophet[a] Jehu son of Hanani confronted him;[b] he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Is it right to help the wicked and be an ally of those who oppose the Lord?[c] Because you have done this, the Lord is angry with you![d] 3 Nevertheless you have done some good things;[e] you removed[f] the Asherah poles from the land and you were determined to follow God.”[g]
Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges
4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. He went out among the people from Beer Sheba to the hill country of Ephraim and encouraged them to follow[h] the Lord God of their ancestors.[i] 5 He appointed judges throughout the land and in each of the fortified cities of Judah.[j] 6 He told the judges, “Be careful what you do,[k] for you are not judging for men, but for the Lord, who will be with you when you make judicial decisions. 7 Respect the Lord and make careful decisions, for the Lord our God disapproves of injustice, partiality, and bribery.”[l]
8 In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some Levites, priests, and Israelite family leaders to judge on behalf of the Lord[m] and to settle disputes among the residents of Jerusalem.[n] 9 He commanded them: “Carry out your duties with respect for the Lord, with honesty, and with pure motives.[o] 10 Whenever your countrymen who live in the cities bring a case before you[p] (whether it involves a violent crime[q] or other matters related to the law, commandments, rules, and regulations), warn them that they must not sin against the Lord. If you fail to do so, God will be angry with you and your colleagues, but if you obey, you will be free of guilt.[r] 11 Take note, Amariah the chief priest will oversee[s] you in every matter pertaining to the Lord and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the family of Judah, in every matter pertaining to the king. The Levites will serve as officials before you. Act courageously,[t] and may the Lord be with those who do well!”
The Lord Gives Jehoshaphat Military Success
20 Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites,[u] attacked Jehoshaphat. 2 Messengers[v] arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat, “A huge army is attacking you from the other side of the Dead Sea,[w] from the direction of Edom.[x] Look, they are in Hazazon Tamar (that is, En Gedi).” 3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the Lord’s advice.[y] He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast. 4 The people of Judah[z] assembled to ask for the Lord’s help;[aa] they came from all the cities of Judah to ask for the Lord’s help.[ab]
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,[ac] you are the God who lives in heaven[ad] 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[ae] the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession[af] to the descendants of your friend[ag] Abraham. 8 They settled down in it and built in it a temple[ah] to honor you,[ai] saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack,[aj] judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple.[ak] We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will[al] hear and deliver us.’ 10 Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming![am] When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands.[an] 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.”[ao]
13 All the men of Judah[ap] were standing before the Lord, along with their infants, wives, and children. 14 Then in the midst of the assembly, the Lord’s Spirit came upon Jachaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph. 15 He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah,[aq] residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic[ar] because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them as[as] they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the Lord deliver you,[at] O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic![au] Tomorrow march out toward them; the Lord is with you!’”
18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah[av] and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord and worshiped him.[aw] 19 Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the Lord God of Israel.[ax]
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[ay] and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe![az] Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.” 21 He met[ba] 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.”[bb]
22 When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked[bc] the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir[bd] who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir[be] and annihilated them.[bf] When they had finished off the men[bg] of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another.[bh] 24 When the men of Judah[bi] arrived at the observation post overlooking the wilderness and looked at[bj] the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors. 25 Jehoshaphat and his men[bk] went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount of supplies, clothing,[bl] and valuable items. They carried away everything they could.[bm] There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off.[bn]
26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where[bo] they praised the Lord. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah[bp] 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[bq] 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.[br]
Jehoshaphat’s Reign Ends
31 Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother[bs] was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved.[bt] 33 However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not devoted to the God of their ancestors.[bu]
34 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which are included in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel.[bv]
35 Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who[bw] did evil. 36 They agreed[bx] to make large seagoing merchant ships;[by] they built the ships in Ezion Geber. 37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, “Because[bz] you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will shatter what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea.[ca]
14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them?[a] 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely[b] is the arrival[c] of those who proclaim the good news.”[d] 16 But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”[e] 17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word[f] of Christ.[g]
18 But I ask, have they[h] not heard?[i] Yes, they have:[j] Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.[k] 19 But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand?[l] First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.”[m] 20 And Isaiah is even bold enough to say, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me.”[n] 21 But about Israel he says, “All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!”[o]
Israel’s Rejection not Complete nor Final
11 So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew! Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left and they are seeking my life!”[p] 4 But what was the divine response[q] to him? “I have kept for myself 7,000 people[r] who have not bent the knee to Baal.”[s]
5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the elect obtained it. The[t] rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear,
to this very day.”[u]
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see,
and make their backs bend continually.”[v]
11 I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall,[w] did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel[x] jealous. 12 Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full restoration[y] bring?
Psalm 21[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
21 O Lord, the king rejoices in the strength you give;[b]
he takes great delight in the deliverance you provide.[c]
2 You grant[d] him his heart’s desire;
you do not refuse his request.[e] (Selah)
3 For you bring him[f] rich[g] blessings;[h]
you place a golden crown on his head.
4 He asked you to sustain his life,[i]
and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty.[j]
5 Your deliverance brings him great honor;[k]
you give him majestic splendor.[l]
6 For you grant him lasting blessings;
you give him great joy by allowing him into your presence.[m]
7 For the king trusts[n] in the Lord,
and because of the Most High’s[o] faithfulness he is not shaken.[p]
8 You[q] prevail over[r] all your enemies;
your power is too great for those who hate you.[s]
9 You burn them up like a fiery furnace[t] when you appear.[u]
The Lord angrily devours them;[v]
the fire consumes them.
10 You destroy their offspring[w] from the earth,
their descendants[x] from among the human race.[y]
11 Yes,[z] they intend to do you harm;[aa]
they dream up a scheme,[ab] but they do not succeed.[ac]
12 For you make them retreat[ad]
when you aim your arrows at them.[ae]
13 Rise up, O Lord, in strength![af]
We will sing and praise[ag] your power.
4 The sluggard will not plow[a] during the planting season,[b]
so at harvest time he asks[c] for grain[d] but has nothing.
5 Counsel[e] in a person’s heart[f] is like[g] deep water,[h]
but an understanding person[i] draws it out.
6 Many people profess their loyalty,[j]
but a faithful person[k]—who can find?[l]
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