2 Chronicles 17:1–21:3

King Jehoshaphat of Judah

¹Asa’s son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king. Jehoshaphat strengthened himself ⸤to wage war⸥ against Israel. ²He put troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and placed military posts in Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured. 

³The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, who lived in the old way like his ancestor David. Jehoshaphat didn’t dedicate his life to serving other gods—the Baals. ⁴Instead, he dedicated his life to his ancestor’s God and lived by God’s commands. Jehoshaphat did not do what Israel was doing. ⁵So the Lord established Jehoshaphat’s power over the kingdom. All the people of Judah gave gifts to Jehoshaphat, and he had a lot of riches and honor. ⁶He had the confidence to live the way the Lord wanted him to live. He also got rid of the illegal places of worship and poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah in Judah. 

⁷In the third year of his reign, he sent his officers Ben Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah. ⁸With them were the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, Tob Adonijah, and the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹They taught in Judah. They had the Book of the Lord’s Teachings with them when they taught the people in all the cities of Judah. 

¹⁰Fear of the Lord came to all the kingdoms around Judah. As a result, they didn’t wage war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹Some of the Philistines brought gifts and silver as taxes. The Arabs also brought him flocks: 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. ¹²So Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful. He built fortresses and cities where supplies were stored in Judah. ¹³He had large supplies of food in the cities of Judah and an army of professional soldiers with him in Jerusalem. ¹⁴The following is a breakdown of these soldiers. They are listed by families. Judah’s regimental commanders were Commander Adnah (with 300,000 fighting men), ¹⁵next to him Commander Jehohanan (with 280,000), ¹⁶and next to him Amasiah, Zichri’s son, who volunteered to serve the Lord (with 200,000 fighting men). ¹⁷From Benjamin there was the fighting man Eliada (with 200,000 armed men with bows and shields), ¹⁸and next to him was Jehozabad (with him was an army of 180,000 armed men). ¹⁹These were the men who served the king in addition to those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout Judah. 

18TH CHAPTER

Micaiah Prophesies against King Ahab—1 Kings 22:1–40

¹Jehoshaphat was wealthy and honorable and became Ahab’s in-law. ²A few years later he went to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for a banquet in honor of Jehoshaphat and the people who were with him. And Ahab persuaded Jehoshaphat to attack Ramoth in Gilead with him. 

³King Ahab of Israel asked King Jehoshaphat of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth in Gilead?” 

Jehoshaphat told the king of Israel, “I will do what you do. My troops will do what your troops do. ⸤We will join⸥ your troops in battle. ⁴Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “But first, find out what the Lord’s word is ⸤in this matter⸥.” 

⁵So the king of Israel called 400 prophets together. He asked them, “Should we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?” 

“Go,” they said. “God will hand over Ramoth to you.” 

⁶But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord whom we could ask?” 

⁷The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “We can ask the Lord through Micaiah, son of Imla, but I hate him. Nothing he prophesies about me is good; it’s always evil.” 

Jehoshaphat answered, “The king must not say that.” 

⁸The king of Israel called for an officer and said, “Quick! ⸤Get⸥ Micaiah, son of Imla!” 

⁹The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were dressed in royal robes and seated on thrones. They were sitting on the threshing floor^aat the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them. ¹⁰Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will push the Arameans to their destruction.” ¹¹All the other prophets made the same prophecy. They said, “Attack Ramoth in Gilead, and you will win. The Lord will hand it over to you.” 

¹²The messenger who went to call Micaiah told him, “The prophets have all told the king the same good message. Make your message agree with their message. Say something good.” 

¹³Micaiah answered, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I will tell him whatever my God says to me.” 

¹⁴When he came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah,^bshould we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?” 

Micaiah said, “Attack and you will win. They will be handed over to you.” 

¹⁵The king asked him, “How many times must I make you take an oath in the Lord’s name to tell me nothing but the truth?” 

¹⁶So Micaiah said, “I saw Israel’s troops scattered in the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These sheep have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’ ” 

¹⁷The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he wouldn’t prophesy anything good about me?” 

¹⁸Micaiah added, “Then hear the Lord’s word. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the entire army of heaven was standing on his right and his left. ¹⁹The Lord asked, ‘Who will deceive King Ahab of Israel so that he will attack and be killed at Ramoth in Gilead?’ Some answered one way, while others were saying something else. 

²⁰“Then the Spirit stepped forward, stood in front of the Lord, and said, ‘I will deceive him.’ 

“ ‘How?’ the Lord asked. 

²¹“The Spirit answered, ‘I will go out and be a spirit that tells lies through the mouths of all of Ahab’s prophets.’ 

“The Lord said, ‘You will succeed in deceiving him. Go and do it.’ 

²²“So the Lord has put into the mouths of these prophets of yours a spirit that makes them tell lies. The Lord has spoken evil about you.” 

²³Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, went to Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. “Which way did the Spirit go when he left me to talk to you?” he asked. 

²⁴Micaiah answered, “You will find out on the day you go into an inner room to hide.” 

²⁵The king of Israel then said, “Send Micaiah back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the prince. ²⁶Say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return home safely.’ ” 

²⁷Micaiah said, “If you really do come back safely, then the Lord wasn’t speaking through me. Pay attention to this, everyone!” 

²⁸So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to Ramoth in Gilead. ²⁹The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you should wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 

³⁰The king of Aram had given orders to the chariot commanders. He said, “Don’t fight anyone except the king of Israel.” 

³¹When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they surrounded him in order to fight him. But when Jehoshaphat cried out, the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, ³²and the chariot commanders realized that Jehoshaphat wasn’t the king of Israel. Then they turned away from him. 

³³One man aimed his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between his scale armor and his breastplate. Ahab told the chariot driver, “Turn around, and get me away from these troops. I’m badly wounded.” ³⁴But the battle got worse that day, and the king propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. At sundown he died. 

19TH CHAPTER

King Jehoshaphat’s Religious Reforms

¹King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned safely to his home in Jerusalem. ²Jehu, son of the seer^aHanani, asked King Jehoshaphat, “Why do you help wicked people and love those who hate the Lord? The Lord’s anger is directed toward you because you have done this. ³However, you’ve done some good things: You’ve burned the Asherah poles in this country, and you’ve wholeheartedly dedicated your life to serving God.” 

⁴While Jehoshaphat was living in Jerusalem, he regularly went to the people between Beersheba and the mountains of Ephraim. He brought the people back to the Lord God of their ancestors. ⁵He appointed judges in the country, in each fortified city of Judah. ⁶He told the judges, “Pay attention to what you’re doing. When you judge, you aren’t doing it for a human but for the Lord. He will be with you when you hear a case. ⁷May you have the fear of the Lord in you. Be careful about what you do. The Lord our God is never unjust. He is impartial and never takes bribes.” 

⁸In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat also appointed some Levites, priests, and family heads from Israel to administer the Lord’s laws and decide cases. They lived in Jerusalem. ⁹He ordered them, “Do this wholeheartedly—with the fear of the Lord and with faithfulness. ¹⁰Warn your relatives living in other cities about every case they bring to you, even if the case involves bloodshed or commands, rules, or regulations derived from Moses’ Teachings. Then your relatives will not become guilty in front of the Lord. Otherwise, he will become angry with you and your relatives. Do this, and you won’t be guilty ⸤of anything⸥. ¹¹Now, the chief priest Amariah will be in charge of you in every matter involving the Lord. Zebadiah, who is the son of Ishmael and the leader of the tribe of Judah, will be in charge of every matter involving the king. The Levites will serve as officers of the court. Be strong, and do your job. May the Lord be with those who do right.” 

20TH CHAPTER

King Jehoshaphat Defeats Judah’s Enemies

¹Later the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites^acame to wage war against Jehoshaphat. ²Some men reported to Jehoshaphat, “A large crowd is coming against you from the other side of the Dead Sea, from Edom.^bThe crowd is already in Hazazon Tamar” (also called En Gedi). 

³Frightened, Jehoshaphat decided to ask for the Lord’s help. He announced a fast throughout Judah. ⁴The people of…