2 Chronicles 20

A Great Horde Against Judah

1Some time afterward the Moabites and the Ammonites came against Jehoshaphat for war, and with them some of the Ammonites.* 2Men came and reported to Jehoshaphat: “A great horde is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Aram, and they are already at Hazazon-tamar” — that is, En-gedi.* 3Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he turned his face to seek Yahweh; he called a fast throughout Judah. 4Judah gathered to look for help from Yahweh; out of every one of the cities of Judah they came to seek Yahweh. 5Jehoshaphat took his stand in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Yahweh, in front of the new courtyard, 6and said: “Yahweh, God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven, the one who rules over all the kingdoms of the nations? Strength and power are in your hand, and no one can hold his ground against you. 7Was it not you, our God, who dispossessed the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it for ever to the offspring of Abraham, your friend? 8They settled in it, and there they built you a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9‘If disaster comes upon us — sword, judgment, plague or famine — we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house, and we will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear and save.’ 10And now, here are the Ammonites, the Moabites and the men of Mount Seir, whose land you would not let Israel enter when they came out of Egypt — Israel turned aside from them and did not wipe them out. 11See how they repay us: they are coming to drive us out of your possession, which you gave us to inherit. 12Our God, will you not pass judgment on them? We have no strength against this great horde advancing on us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 13All Judah stood there before Yahweh, together with their little ones, their wives and their children.

The Battle Is God’s

14Then, in the middle of the assembly, the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite from the sons of Asaph, 15and he said: “Pay attention, all Judah, and you who live in Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat. This is what Yahweh says to you: Do not be afraid, do not lose heart before this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 16Go down against them tomorrow. They will be coming up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ravine, facing the wilderness of Jeruel. 17This one is not yours to fight. Take your places, stand still and watch the rescue Yahweh brings you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid, do not lose heart. Go out tomorrow to meet them, and Yahweh will be with you.” 18Jehoshaphat bowed low, his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Yahweh in worship. 19Then the Levites, from the Kohathites and the Korahites, rose to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, at the top of their voices. 20Early in the morning they set out for the wilderness of Tekoa. As they marched out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah, and you who live in Jerusalem. Hold fast to Yahweh your God and you will be held fast; hold fast to his prophets and you will succeed.” 21After consulting the people, he appointed singers for Yahweh, men to praise him in holy splendour, marching out ahead of the armed men and saying: “Give thanks to Yahweh, for his faithful love lasts for ever.” 22The moment they began their shout of joy and praise, Yahweh set ambushes against the Ammonites, the Moabites and the men of Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were routed. 23The Ammonites and Moabites turned on the inhabitants of Mount Seir to slaughter and destroy them, and when they had finished off the inhabitants of Seir, each of them helped ruin the next. 24When Judah came to the lookout over the wilderness, they turned toward the horde — and there they lay, corpses on the ground; not one had got away. 25Jehoshaphat and his people came to carry off the plunder, and among them they found a great quantity of goods, and corpses, and precious objects; they stripped them for themselves until they could carry no more. It took them three days to gather the plunder, there was so much of it.*

The Valley of Berakah

26On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, for there they blessed Yahweh. That is why the name of that place is the Valley of Berakah to this day. 27Then every man of Judah and Jerusalem turned back, Jehoshaphat at their head, to return to Jerusalem in joy, for Yahweh had given them joy over their enemies. 28They came into Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of Yahweh. 29The dread of God came over all the kingdoms of those lands when they heard that Yahweh had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest on every side.

The Years of Jehoshaphat

31Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 32He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn from it, doing what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. 33The high places, however, were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their ancestors. 34The rest of Jehoshaphat’s acts, from first to last, are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which were entered in the book of the kings of Israel. 35Later Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, a man whose deeds were wicked. 36He joined with him to build ships to sail to Tarshish, and they built the ships at Ezion-geber. 37Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu, from Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat: “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has torn apart what you made.” And the ships were wrecked and could not sail to Tarshish.