Old/New Testament
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.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal(A)
21 After saying this, Jesus was deeply troubled in spirit and declared solemnly, “Truly, I tell all of you[a] emphatically, one of you is going to betray me!” 22 The disciples began looking at one another, completely mystified about whom he was speaking. 23 One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus kept loving, had been sitting very close to him.
24 So Simon Peter motioned to this man to ask Jesus about whom he was speaking. 25 Leaning forward on Jesus’ chest, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “He is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread after I have dipped it in the dish.”[b]
Then he took a piece of bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.[c] 27 After he had taken the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus told him, “Do quickly what you are going to do!” 28 Now no one at the table knew why Jesus[d] said this to him. 29 Some thought that, since Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him to buy what they needed for the festival or to give something to the destitute. 30 So Judas[e] took the piece of bread, immediately went outside…and it was night.
The New Commandment
31 After Judas[f] had gone out, Jesus said, “The Son of Man is now glorified, and God has been glorified by him. 32 If God has been glorified by him,[g] God himself also will glorify the Son of Man,[h] and he will do so[i] quickly. 33 Little children, I’m with you only a little longer. You will look for me, but what I told the Jewish leaders[j] I now tell you, ‘Where I’m going, you cannot come.’ 34 I’m giving you a new commandment…to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(B)
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him, “I’m going where you cannot follow me now, though you will follow me later on.”
37 “Lord,[k] why can’t I follow you now?” Peter asked him. “I would lay down my life for you!”
38 Jesus answered him, “Would you lay down your life for me? I tell you[l] emphatically, a rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times.”
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