2 Chronicles 19:1–20:37

A Prophet Reprimands Jehoshaphat

19King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem. ²A prophet, Jehu son of Hanani, went to meet the king and said to him, “Do you think it is right to help those who are wicked and to take the side of those who hate the Lord? What you have done has brought the Lord’s anger on you. ³But even so, there is some good in you. You have removed all the symbols of the goddess Asherah which people worshipped, and you have tried to follow God’s will.”

Jehoshaphat’s Reforms

⁴Even though King Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, he travelled regularly among the people, from Beersheba in the south to the edge of the hill country of Ephraim in the north, in order to call the people back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ⁵He appointed judges in each of the fortified cities of Judah ⁶and instructed them: “Be careful in pronouncing judgement; you are not acting on human authority, but on the authority of the Lord, and he is with you when you pass sentence. ⁷Honour the Lord and act carefully, because the Lord our God does not tolerate fraud or partiality or the taking of bribes.”

⁸In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed Levites, priests, and some of the leading citizens as judges in cases involving a violation of the Law of the Lord or legal disputes between inhabitants of the city.^{c 9}He gave them the following instructions: “You must perform your duties in reverence for the Lord, faithfully obeying him in everything you do. ¹⁰Whenever your fellow-citizens from any of the cities bring before you a case of homicide or any other violation of a law or commandment, you must instruct them carefully how to conduct themselves during the trial, so that they do not become guilty of sinning against the Lord. Unless you do, you and your fellow-citizens will feel the force of the Lord’s anger. But if you do your duty, you will not be guilty. ¹¹Amariah the High Priest will have final authority in all religious cases, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, governor of Judah, will have final authority in all civil cases. The Levites have the responsibility of seeing that the decisions of the courts are carried out. Be courageous and carry out these instructions, and may the Lord be on the side of the right!”

War against Edom

20Some time later the armies of Moab and Ammon, together with their allies, the Meunites,^d invaded Judah. ²Some messengers came and announced to King Jehoshaphat: “A large army from Edom has come from the other side of the Dead Sea to attack you. They have already captured Hazazon Tamar.” (This is another name for Engedi.) ³Jehoshaphat was frightened and prayed to the Lord for guidance. Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout the country. ⁴From every city of Judah people hurried to Jerusalem to ask the Lord for guidance, ⁵and they and the people of Jerusalem gathered in the new courtyard of the Temple. King Jehoshaphat went and stood before them ⁶and prayed aloud, “O Lord God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty, and no one can oppose you. ^7*You are our God. When your people Israel moved into this land, you drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, to be theirs for ever. ⁸They have lived here and have built a temple to honour you, knowing ⁹that if any disaster struck them to punish them—a war,^e an epidemic, or a famine—then they could come and stand in front of this Temple where you are worshipped. They could pray to you in their trouble, and you would hear them and rescue them.

^10*“Now the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom have attacked us. When our ancestors came out of Egypt, you did not allow them to enter those lands, so our ancestors went round them and did not destroy them. ¹¹This is how they repay us—they come to drive us out of the land that you gave us. ¹²You are our God! Punish them, for we are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help.”

¹³All the men of Judah, with their wives and children, were standing there at the Temple. ¹⁴The spirit of the Lord came upon a Levite who was present in the crowd. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah; he was a member of the clan of Asaph and was descended from Asaph through Mattaniah, Jeiel, and Benaiah. ^15*Jahaziel said, “Your Majesty and all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord says that you must not be discouraged or be afraid to face this large army. The battle depends on God, not on you. ^16*Attack them tomorrow as they come up the pass at Ziz. You will meet them at the end of the valley that leads to the wild country near Jeruel. ^17*You will not have to fight this battle. Just take up your positions and wait; you will see the Lord give you victory. People of Judah and Jerusalem, do not hesitate or be afraid. Go out to battle, and the Lord will be with you!”

¹⁸Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low, with his face touching the ground, and all the people bowed with him and worshipped the Lord. ¹⁹The members of the Levite clans of Kohath and Korah stood up and with a loud shout praised the Lord, the God of Israel.

²⁰Early the next morning the people went out to the wild country near Tekoa. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat addressed them with these words: “People of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in the Lord your God, and you will stand firm. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed.” ²¹After consulting with the people, the king ordered some musicians to put on the robes they wore on sacred occasions and to march ahead of the army, singing: “Praise the Lord! His love is eternal!”

²²When they began to sing, the Lord threw the invading armies into a panic. ²³The Ammonites and the Moabites attacked the Edomite army and completely destroyed it, and then they turned on each other in savage fighting. ²⁴When the Judean army reached a tower that was in the desert, they looked towards the enemy and saw that they were all lying on the ground, dead. Not one had escaped.

²⁵Jehoshaphat and his troops moved in to take the loot, and they found many cattle,^f supplies, clothing, and other valuable objects. They spent three days gathering the loot, but there was so much that they could not take everything. ²⁶On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah and praised the Lord for all he had done. That is why the valley is called “Beracah”.^{g 27}Jehoshaphat led his troops back to Jerusalem in triumph, because the Lord had defeated their enemies. ²⁸When they reached the city, they marched to the Temple, to the music of harps and trumpets. ²⁹Every nation that heard how the Lord had defeated Israel’s enemies was terrified, ³⁰so Jehoshaphat ruled in peace, and God gave him security on every side.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

³¹Jehoshaphat had become king of Judah at the age of 35 and had ruled in Jerusalem for 25 years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. ³²Like his father Asa before him, he did what was right in the sight of the Lord; ³³but the pagan places of worship were not destroyed. The people still did not turn wholeheartedly to the worship of the God of their ancestors.

³⁴Everything else that Jehoshaphat did, from the beginning of his reign to its end, is recorded in The History of Jehu Son of Hanani, which is a part of The History of the Kings of Israel.

³⁵At one time King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who did many wicked things. ³⁶At the port of Eziongeber they built ocean-going ships. ³⁷But Eliezer son of Dodavahu, from the town of Mareshah, warned Jehoshaphat, “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have built.” And the ships were wrecked and never sailed.