2 Chronicles 18:24–36:16

²⁴Micaiah replied, “You will find out on that day when you go in to hide in an inner chamber.” ²⁵The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son,^{* 26}and say: Thus says the king: Put this fellow in prison, and feed him on reduced rations of bread and water until I return in peace.”^{* 27}Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, you peoples, all of you!”^*

Defeat and Death of Ahab

²⁸So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. ³⁰Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with no one small or great but only with the king of Israel.” ³¹When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him,^{* 32}for when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³³But a certain man drew his bow and unknowingly struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate, so he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around, and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”^{* 34}The battle grew hot that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening; then at sunset he died.

¹⁹King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned in peace to his house in Jerusalem. ²Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord.^{* 3}Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the sacred poles^p out of the land and have set your heart to seek God.”^*

The Reforms of Jehoshaphat

⁴Jehoshaphat resided at Jerusalem; then he went out again 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 appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, ⁶and said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you judge not on behalf of humans but on the Lord’s behalf; he is with you in giving judgment.^{* 7}Now, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care what you do, for there is no perversion of justice with the Lord our God or partiality or taking of bribes.”^*

⁸Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel to give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem.^{* 9}He charged them, “This is how you shall act: in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart;^{* 10}whenever a case comes to you from your kindred who live in their cities concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or ordinances, then you shall instruct them, so that they may not incur guilt before the Lord and wrath may not come on you and your kindred. Do so, and you will not incur guilt.^{* 11}See, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king’s matters; and the Levites will serve you as officers. Deal courageously, and may the Lord be with the good!”^*

Invasion from the East

²⁰After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,^q came against Jehoshaphat for battle. ²Messengers^r came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,^s from beyond the sea; already they are at Hazazon-tamar” (that is, En-gedi).^{* 3}Jehoshaphat was afraid; he set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.^{* 4}Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the towns of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer and Victory

⁵Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, ⁶and said, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven? Do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In your hand are power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you.^{* 7}Did you not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?^{* 8}They have lived in it and in it have built you a sanctuary for your name, saying, ⁹‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,^t or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house, and cry to you in our distress, and you will hear and save.’^{* 10}See now, the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt and whom they avoided and did not destroy,^{* 11}they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession that you have given us to inherit.^{* 12}O our God, will you not execute judgment upon them? For we are powerless against this great multitude that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”^*

¹³Meanwhile, all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. ¹⁴Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the middle of the assembly.^{* 15}He said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you: Do not fear or be dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.^{* 16}Tomorrow go down against them; they will come up by the ascent of Ziz; you will find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷This battle is not for you to fight; take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”^*

¹⁸Then Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.^{* 19}And the Levites of the Kohathites and the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

²⁰They rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa, and as they went out Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God and you will be established; believe his prophets and you will succeed.”^{* 21}When he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy splendor, as they went before the army, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord,

for his steadfast love endures forever.”^*

²²As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.^{* 23}For the Ammonites and Moab attacked the inhabitants of Mount Seir, destroying them utterly, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.^*

²⁴When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; they were corpses lying on the ground; no one had escaped. ²⁵When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil from them, they found livestock^u in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They spent three days taking the spoil because of its abundance. ²⁶On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore that place has been called the Valley of Beracah^v to this day. ²⁷Then all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returned to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had enabled them to rejoice over their enemies.^{* 28}They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets to the house of the Lord. ²⁹The fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.^{* 30}And the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.^*

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

³¹So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.^{* 32}He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. ³³Yet the high places were not removed; the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their ancestors.^*

³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.^*

³⁵After this King Jehoshaphat of Judah joined with King Ahaziah of Israel, who did wickedly.^{* 36}He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish; they built the ships in Ezion-geber. ³⁷Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.^*

Jehoram’s Reign

²¹Jehoshaphat slept with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David; his son Jehoram succeeded him.^{* 2}He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of King Jehoshaphat of Judah.^{w 3}Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.^{* 4}Jehoram ascended the throne of his father, and he strengthened himself,…