Historical
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.
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