^20:1Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites,¹ attacked Jehoshaphat. ^20:2Messengers² arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat, “A huge army is attacking you from the other side of the Dead Sea,³ from the direction of Edom.⁴ Look, they are in Hazezon Tamar (that is, En Gedi).” ^20:3Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the Lord’s advice.⁵ He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast. ^20:4The people of Judah⁶ assembled to ask for the Lord’s help;⁷ they came from all the cities of Judah to ask for the Lord’s help.⁸

^20:5Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem⁹ at the Lord’s temple, in front of the new courtyard. ^20:6He prayed: “O Lord God of our ancestors,¹⁰ you are the God who lives in heaven¹¹ and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you. ^20:7Our God, you drove out¹² the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession¹³ to the descendants of your friend¹⁴ Abraham. ^20:8They settled down in it and built in it a temple¹⁵ to honor you,¹⁶ saying, ^20:9‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack,¹⁷ judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple.¹⁸ We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will¹⁹ hear and deliver us.’ ^20:10Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming!²⁰ When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands.²¹ They bypassed them and did not destroy them. ^20:11Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land which you assigned to us! ^20:12Our 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.”²²

^20:13All the men of Judah²³ were standing before the Lord, along with their infants, wives, and children. ^20:14Then 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. ^20:15He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah,²⁴ residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic²⁵ because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s. ^20:16Tomorrow march down against them as²⁶ they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the Desert of Jeruel. ^20:17You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the Lord deliver you,²⁷ O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic!²⁸ Tomorrow march out toward them; the Lord is with you!’ ”

^20:18Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah²⁹ and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord and worshiped him.³⁰^20:19Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the Lord God of Israel.³¹

^20:20Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, you people of Judah³² and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe!³³ Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.” ^20:21He met³⁴ 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.”³⁵

^20:22When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked³⁶ the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir³⁷ who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. ^20:23The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir³⁸ and annihilated them.³⁹ When they had finished off the men⁴⁰ of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another.⁴¹^20:24When the men of Judah⁴² arrived at the observation post overlooking the desert and looked at⁴³ the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors! ^20:25Jehoshaphat and his men⁴⁴ went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount of supplies, clothing⁴⁵ and valuable items. They carried away everything they could.⁴⁶ There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off.⁴⁷

^20:26On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where⁴⁸ they praised the Lord. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah⁴⁹ to this very day. ^20:27Then 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. ^20:28They entered Jerusalem to the sound of stringed instruments and trumpets and proceeded to the temple of the Lord. ^20:29All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God⁵⁰ when they heard how the Lord had fought against Israel’s enemies. ^20:30Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace; his God made him secure on every side.⁵¹

Jehoshaphat’s Reign Ends

^20:31Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem.⁵² His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. ^20:32He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved.⁵³^20:33However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not devoted to the God of their ancestors.⁵⁴

^20:34The 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 Scroll of the Kings of Israel.⁵⁵

^20:35Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who⁵⁶ did evil. ^20:36They agreed⁵⁷ to make large seagoing merchant ships;⁵⁸ they built the ships in Ezion Geber. ^20:37Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, “Because⁵⁹ you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will shatter what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea.⁶⁰

^21:1Jehoshaphat passed away¹ and was buried with his ancestors² in the City of David.³ His son Jehoram⁴ replaced him as king.

Jehoram’s Reign

^21:2His brothers, Jehoshaphat’s sons, were Azariah, Jechiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of King Jehoshaphat of Israel.⁵^21:3Their father gave them many presents, including silver, gold, and other precious items, along with fortified cities in Judah. But he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

^21:4Jehoram took control of his father’s kingdom and became powerful.⁶ Then he killed all his brothers,⁷ as well as some of the officials of Israel. ^21:5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.⁸^21:6He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter.⁹ He did evil in the sight of¹⁰ the Lord. ^21:7But the Lord was unwilling to destroy David’s dynasty¹¹ because of the promise¹² he had made to give David a perpetual dynasty.¹³

^21:8During Jehoram’s¹⁴ reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king.¹⁵^21:9Jehoram crossed over to Zair with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers.¹⁶^21:10So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day.¹⁷ At that same time Libnah also rebelled and freed themselves from Judah’s control¹⁸ because Jehoram¹⁹ rejected the Lord God of his ancestors. ^21:11He also built high places on the hills of Judah; he encouraged the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord²⁰ and led Judah away from the Lord.²¹

^21:12Jehoram²² received this letter from Elijah the prophet: “This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: ‘You²³ have not followed in the footsteps²⁴ of your father Jehoshaphat and of²⁵ King Asa of Judah, ^21:13but have instead followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. You encouraged the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord, just as the family of Ahab does in Israel.²⁶ You also killed your brothers, members of your father’s family,²⁷ who were better than you. ^21:14So look, the Lord is about to severely afflict²⁸ your people, your sons, your wives, and all you own. ^21:15And you will get a serious, chronic intestinal disease which will cause your intestines to come out.”²⁹

^21:16The Lord stirred up against Jehoram the Philistines³⁰ and the Arabs who lived beside the Cushites. ^21:17They attacked Judah and swept through it.³¹ They carried off everything they found in the royal palace,³² including his sons and wives. None of his sons was left, except for his youngest, Ahaziah. ^21:18After all this happened, the Lord afflicted him with an incurable intestinal disease.³³^21:19After about two years his intestines came out because of the disease, so that he died a very painful death.³⁴ His people did not make a bonfire to honor him, as they had done for his ancestors.³⁵

^21:20Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. No one regretted his death;³⁶ he was buried in the City of David,³⁷ but not in the royal tombs.

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Footnotes

1 The Hebrew text has “Ammonites,” but they are mentioned just before this. Most translations, following some of the , read “Meunites” (see 1 Chr 26:7; so , , ).
2 Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 Heb “the Sea”; in context (“from the direction of Edom”) this must refer to the Dead Sea, which has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. , ).
4 Most Hebrew read “from Aram” (i.e., Syria), but this must be a corruption of “Edom,” which is the reading of the and .
5 Heb “and he set his face to seek the Lord.”
6 The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.
7 Heb “to seek from the Lord.” The verb here (בָּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).
8 Heb “to seek the Lord.” The verb here (ָָבּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).
9 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
10 Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33).
11 Heb “are you not God in heaven?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “yes,” resulting in the positive statement “you are the God who lives in heaven” employed in the translation.
12 Heb “did you not drive out?” This is another rhetorical question which expects a positive response; see the note on the word “heaven” in the previous verse.
13 Heb “permanently.”
14 Or perhaps “your covenantal partner.” See Isa 41:8.
15 Or “sanctuary.”
16 Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you”).
17 Heb “sword.”
18 Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. In this case the temple is referred to as a “house” where the Lord himself can reside.
19 Or “so that you may.”
20 Heb “now, look, the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.”
21 Heb “whom you did not allow Israel to enter when they came from the land of Egypt.”
22 Heb “for [or “indeed”] upon you are our eyes.”
23 Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
24 Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. Unlike the previous instance in v. 13 where infants, wives, and children are mentioned separately, this reference appears to include them all.
25 Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
26 Heb “look.”
27 Heb “the deliverance of the Lord with you.”
28 Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
29 Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. .
30 Heb “to worship the Lord.”
31 Heb “arose to praise the Lord God of Israel with a very loud voice.”
32 Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. .
33 There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (ha’aminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (te’amenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ’aman).
34 Or “consulted.”
35 Or “is eternal.”
36 Heb “set ambushers against.” This is probably idiomatic here for launching a surprise attack.
37 Heb “the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.”
38 Heb “the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the residents of Mount Seir.”
39 Heb “to annihilate and to destroy.”
40 Heb “residents.”
41 Heb “they helped, each one his fellow, for destruction.” The verb עָזַר (’azar), traditionally understood as the well-attested verb meaning “to help,” is an odd fit in this context. It is possible that it is from a homonymic root, perhaps meaning to “attack.” This root is attested in Ugaritic in a nominal form meaning “young man, warrior, hero.” For a discussion of the proposed root, see II עזר.
42 Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
43 Heb “turned toward.”
44 Or “army.”
45 The reads פְגָרִים (fégarim, “corpses”), but this seems odd among a list of plunder. A few medieval Hebrew and the read בְגָדִים (végadim, “clothing”), which fits the context much better.
46 Heb “and they snatched away for themselves so that there was no carrying away.”
47 Heb “and they were three days looting the plunder for it was great.”
48 Heb “for there.”
49 The name Berachah, which means “blessing” in Hebrew, is derived from the verbal root “to praise [or “to bless”],” which appears earlier in the verse.
50 Heb “and the terror of God [or “a great terror”] was upon all the kingdoms of the lands.” It is uncertain if אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) should be understood as a proper name here (“God”), or taken in an idiomatic superlative sense.
51 Heb “and his God gave him rest all around.”
52 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
53 Heb “he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn from it, doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.”
54 Heb “and still the people did not set their heart[s] on the God of their fathers.”
55 Heb “the rest of the events of Jehoshaphat, the former and the latter, look, they are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are taken up in the scroll of the kings of Israel.”
56 Heb “he.” The pronoun has been translated as a relative pronoun for stylistic reasons.
57 Heb “he made an alliance with him.”
58 Heb “make ships to go to Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish; a “Tarshish-ship” was essentially a large seagoing merchant ship.
59 Heb “when.”
60 Heb “to go to Tarshish.”
1 Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
2 Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 10, 12, 19).
3 The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
4 The parallel account in 2 Kgs 8:16–24 has the variant spelling “Jehoram.”
5 A number of times in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is used instead of the more specific “Judah”; see 2 Chr 12:6; 23:2). In the interest of consistency some translations (e.g., , ) substitute “Judah” for “Israel” here.
6 Heb “and Jehoram arose over the kingdom of his father and strengthened himself.”
7 Heb “and he killed all his brothers with the sword.”
8 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
9 Heb “he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.”
10 Heb “in the eyes of.”
11 Heb “house.”
12 Or “covenant.”
13 Heb “which he made to David, just as he had promised to give him and his sons a lamp all the days.” Here “lamp” is metaphorical, symbolizing the Davidic dynasty.
14 Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
15 Heb “in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and enthroned a king over them.”
16 Heb “and he arose at night and defeated Edom, who had surrounded him, and the chariot officers.” The Hebrew text as it stands gives the impression that Jehoram was surrounded and launched a victorious nighttime counterattack. Yet v. 10 goes on to state that the Edomite revolt was successful. The translation above assumes an emendation of the Hebrew text. Adding a third masculine singular pronominal suffix to the accusative sign before Edom (reading אֹתוֹ [’oto, “him”] instead of just אֶת [’et]) and taking Edom as the subject of verbs allows one to translate the verse in a way that is more consistent with the context, which depicts an Israelite defeat, not victory. See also 2 Kgs 8:21.
17 Heb “and Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day.”
18 Or “from Jehoram’s control”; Heb “from under his hand.” The pronominal suffix may refer to Judah in general or, more specifically, to Jehoram.
19 Heb “he.” This pronoun could refer to Judah, but the context focuses on Jehoram’s misdeeds. See especially v. 11.
20 Heb “and he caused the residents of Jerusalem to commit adultery.” In this context spiritual unfaithfulness to the Lord is in view rather than physical adultery.
21 Heb “and drove Judah away.”
22 Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
23 Heb “Because you …” In the Hebrew text this lengthy sentence is completed in vv. 14–15. Because of its length and complexity (and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences), the translation has divided it up into several English sentences.
24 Heb “walked in the ways.”
25 Heb “in the ways of.”
26 Heb “and you walked in the way of the kings of Israel and caused Judah and the residents of Jerusalem to commit adultery, like the house of Ahab causes to commit adultery.”
27 Heb “the house of your father.”
28 Heb “to strike with a great striking.”
29 Heb “and you [will have] a serious illness, an illness of the intestines until your intestines come out because of the illness days upon days.”
30 Heb “the spirit of the Philistines.”
31 Heb “broke it up.”
32 Heb “all the property which was found in the house of the king.”
33 Heb “in his intestines with an illness [for which] there was no healer.”
34 Heb “and it was to days from days, and about the time of the going out of the end for the days, two, his intestines came out with his illness and he died in severe illness.”
35 Heb “and his people did not make for him a fire, like the fire of his fathers.”
36 Heb “and he went without desire.”
37 The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.