Historical

Chapter 19

Jehoshaphat Rebuked. ¹ When King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned in safety to his palace in Jerusalem, ² Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went forth to meet him, and he said to the king: “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord will strike you. ³ Even so, some good can be found in you, for you have removed the sacred poles from the land and have set your heart on seeking God.”

Jehoshaphat’s Appointments. ⁴ Jehoshaphat resided in Jerusalem, but he regularly went forth among the people, from Beer-sheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ⁵ He also appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah.

⁶ Jehoshaphat said to the judges: “Pay careful attention to what you are doing. You are to judge not on behalf of human beings but on behalf of the Lord, who will be with you when you pronounce sentence. ⁷ Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful in your judgments, for the Lord, our God, will not tolerate the perversion of justice, or partiality, or the taking of bribes.”

⁸ Jehoshaphat also appointed some of the Levites, priests, and heads of families in Jerusalem to administer justice in the name of the Lord and to settle disputes. ⁹ He gave them this command: “You shall act at all times in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart. ¹⁰ Whenever a case is brought before you from your kinsmen who live in other towns, whether in regard to bloodshed or offenses against the law or the commandments, statutes, or ordinances, then you shall instruct them in such a way that they do not incur guilt before the Lord; and the wrath of the Lord will not descend upon you and your kindred. ¹¹ Amariah, the chief priest, will be your superior in all matters that concern the Lord; and Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael, the leader of the house of Judah, is your superior in all matters that concern the king,^[a] while the Levites will serve as your officers. Act firmly and with courage, and may the Lord be with those on the side of the good.”

Chapter 20

War against Edom. ¹ A short time afterward, the Moabites and the Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites,^[b] came to engage Jehoshaphat in battle. ² The following communiqué was sent to Jehoshaphat: “A great multitude is coming forth against you from Edom, from beyond the sea.^[c] They are already at Hazazon-tamar, that is, En-gedi.” ³ Jehoshaphat was alarmed, and he hastened to seek the guidance of the Lord, while proclaiming a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ The people of Judah assembled, to seek help from the Lord, as they came from all the towns of Judah to consult the Lord.

Prayer of Jehoshaphat. ⁵ Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court ⁶ and said: “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God in heaven, and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In your hands are power and might, and there is no one who can withstand you. ⁷ Was it not you, our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land for your people Israel and gave it forever to the descendants of Abraham? ⁸ They have lived in it and have built you a sanctuary there to honor your name, saying: ⁹ ‘Should any disaster befall us, whether the sword of judgment or war or blood or pestilence or famine, we shall stand before this temple that bears your name and call out to you in our distress, and you will hear our cries and save us.’

¹⁰ “But now, behold the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the people of Mount Seir, whom you would not permit the Israelites to invade when they came from the land of Egypt and whom they avoided and made no attempt to destroy them. ¹¹ See how these people repay us by coming forth to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. ¹² O God will you not pass judgment against them? For we are powerless against this vast horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are turned toward you.”

¹³ Prophecy of Victory. All the men of Judah were standing before the Lord, with their infants, their wives, and their children. ¹⁴ Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.

¹⁵ Jahaziel said: “Listen attentively, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not fear or lose heart at the sight of this vast horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. ¹⁶ March down against them tomorrow. They will be coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will encounter them at the end of the gorge near the Desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will have no need to fight in this battle. Take your position, stand firm, and behold the victory of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed. Go forth against them tomorrow, for the Lord will be with you.’ ”

¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat knelt down with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord to worship him. ¹⁹ After that, the Levites from among the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and sang the praises of the Lord, the God of Israel, with a powerful voice.

²⁰ Overcoming the Invaders. Early the next morning they rose and hastened to set out for the wilderness of Tekoa. As they departed, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem. Hold firmly to your faith in the Lord, your God, and you will be secure. Believe in his prophets and you will be successful.”

²¹ After conferring with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed some to sing to the Lord and praise the splendor of his holiness as they marched forth at the head of the army:

²² At the moment they began their hymn of praise, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the people from Mount Seir who were invading Judah. As a result, they were routed. ²³ For the Ammonites and the Moabites turned against the people of Mount Seir and completely destroyed them. Then, when they had finished off the inhabitants of Mount Seir, they proceeded to destroy each other.

²⁴ When the warriors of Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness and looked toward the multitude, what they beheld were nothing but corpses lying on the ground. No one had escaped. ²⁵ Then, when Jehoshaphat and his men came to collect the booty, they found an immense number of livestock as well as personal property, clothing, and precious articles which they took for themselves until they were unable to carry any more. They spent three days gathering the booty because of its abundance.

²⁶ On the fourth day they all assembled, in the Valley of Berakah,^[d] the name that it bears to this day, because it was there that they blessed the Lord. ²⁷ Then all the people of Judah and Jerusalem returned to Jerusalem with joy, since the Lord had given them reason to rejoice over their triumph against their enemies.

²⁸ They entered Jerusalem to the sound of lyres, harps, and trumpets and went into the house of the Lord. ²⁹ The fear of God fell upon all the kingdoms of the neighboring countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. ³⁰ And thereafter Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace, since God gave him rest on every side.

³¹ Jehoshaphat’s Many Deeds. Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah; she was the daughter of Shilhi. ³² He followed the example of his father Asa, and he did not deviate from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. ³³ However, the high places were not abolished, and the people had not as yet fixed their hearts on the God of their fathers.^[e]

³⁴ The remainder of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of Jehu, the son of Hanani, which is included in the book of the kings of Israel.^[f]

³⁵ Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah allied himself with King Ahaziah of Israel, who was guilty of wicked deeds. ^36 [g]Jehoshaphat joined Ahaziah in the building of ships to sail to Tarshish. The fleet was built at Ezion-geber. ³⁷ As a result, Eliezer, the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah, then prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying: “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” The ships were wrecked, and they were never fit to sail to Tarshish.

Chapter 21

^1 [h]Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Jehoram succeeded him as king. ² Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. ³ Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and other valuable possessions, as well as fortified cities in Judah. However, he bestowed the kingship upon Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

The Evil Deeds of Jehoram. ⁴ When Jehoram had firmly established himself on his father’s throne, he put all of his brothers to the sword as well as some of the princes of Israel. ⁵ He was thirty-two years old when he ascended the throne, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years.

⁶ Jehoram followed the practices of the kings of Israel as the house of Ahab had done, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters, and he did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. ⁷ However, the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant that he had made with David and because of his promise to give him and his descendants a lamp forever.

⁸ During the reign of Jehoram, Edom revolted against the rule of Judah and appointed its own king. ⁹ Therefore, Jehoram crossed over into Edom with his commanders and all his chariots. He set out during the night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders.

¹⁰ However, Edom has remained in rebellion against the sovereignty of Judah to the present day. Libnah revolted against the rule of Jehoram at the same time because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers, ¹¹ and because he had established shrines in the hill country of Judah, leading the inhabitants of Jerusalem into idolatry and the people of Judah into apostasy.

¹² Retribution. A letter came to Jehoram from the prophet Elijah with this message: “Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David: ‘You have not followed the example of your father Jehoshaphat, nor of Asa, king of Judah,^{[i] 13} but have instead followed the example of the kings of Israel and have led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into apostasy, just as the house of Ahab did. Also, you have murdered your brothers, members of your father’s house, who were far more worthy than you.

¹⁴ “ ‘Because of all this, the Lord will cause a great affliction to affect your people, your children, your wives, and all your property. ¹⁵ Moreover, you yourself will suffer greatly from a severe disease afflicting your bowels that will eventually cause them to protrude.’ ”

¹⁶ Then the Lord aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who dwelt near the Ethiopians.^{[j] 17} They attacked Judah, invaded it, and carried away all the wealth that was found in the king’s palace, together with his sons and his wives. Not a son was left to him except the youngest, Jehoahaz.

¹⁸ After all this the Lord struck down Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. ¹⁹ In the course of time, after two years had gone by, his bowels came forth as a result of his disease, and he died in unbearable agony. His people did not bother to make a funeral pyre for him as they had done for his ancestors.

²⁰ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. He passed away with none of the people exhibiting any sign of regret, and he was buried in the City of David, although not in the tombs of the kings.