Chapter 20

It came to pass after this also, [that] the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them [other] beside the Ammonites, came¹ against Jehoshaphat to battle.

Then there came⁴ some that told⁵⁵ Jehoshaphat, saying,² There cometh⁶ a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they [be] in Hazazontamar, which [is] Engedi.

And Jehoshaphat feared,⁴ and set⁴ himself to seek² the LORD, and proclaimed⁴ a fast throughout all Judah.

And Judah gathered themselves together,¹¹ to ask¹⁵ [help] of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came¹ to seek¹⁵ the LORD.

And Jehoshaphat stood⁴ in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

And said,⁴ O LORD God of our fathers, [art] not thou God in heaven? and rulest⁶ [not] thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand [is there not] power and might, so that none is able to withstand⁹⁹ thee?

[Art] not thou our God, [who] didst drive out⁵² the inhabitants⁶ of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest⁴ it to the seed of Abraham thy friend⁶ for ever?

And they dwelt⁴ therein, and have built⁴ thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,²

If, [when] evil cometh⁴ upon us, [as] the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand⁴ before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name [is] in this house,) and cry⁴ unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear⁴ and help.⁵⁵

And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let¹ Israel invade,² when they came² out of the land of Egypt, but they turned¹ from them, and destroyed⁵² them not;

Behold, [I say, how] they reward⁶ us, to come² to cast us out¹⁵ of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.⁵²

O our God, wilt thou not judge⁴ them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh⁶ against us; neither know⁴ we what to do:⁴ but our eyes [are] upon thee.

And all Judah stood⁶ before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

And he said,⁴ Hearken⁵⁴ ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants⁶ of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith¹ the LORD unto you, Be not afraid⁴ nor dismayed¹¹ by reason of this great multitude; for the battle [is] not yours, but God's.

To morrow go ye down³ against them: behold, they come up⁶ by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find¹ them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

Ye shall not [need] to fight⁹ in this [battle]: set¹⁰⁰ yourselves, stand³ ye [still], and see³ the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear⁴ not, nor be dismayed;¹¹ to morrow go out³ against them: for the LORD [will be] with you.

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head⁴ with [his] face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants⁶ of Jerusalem fell¹ before the LORD, worshipping⁹⁹ the LORD.

And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up⁴ to praise¹⁵ the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

And they rose early⁵⁵ in the morning, and went forth⁴ into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth,² Jehoshaphat stood¹ and said,⁴ Hear³ me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants⁶ of Jerusalem; Believe⁵⁴ in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established;¹¹ believe⁵⁴ his prophets, so shall ye prosper.⁵⁴

And when he had consulted¹¹ with the people, he appointed⁵⁵ singers³⁵ unto the LORD, and that should praise¹⁸ the beauty of holiness, as they went out² before the army,⁷ and to say,⁶ Praise⁵⁴ the LORD; for his mercy [endureth] for ever.

And when they began⁵² to sing and to praise, the LORD set¹ ambushments¹⁸ against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come⁶ against Judah; and they were smitten.¹¹

For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up⁴ against the inhabitants⁶ of mount Seir, utterly to slay⁵³ and destroy⁵³ [them]: and when they had made an end¹⁵ of the inhabitants⁶ of Seir, every one helped¹ to destroy another.

And when Judah came¹ toward the watch tower ⁴⁷⁰⁸ in the wilderness, they looked⁴ unto the multitude, and, behold, they [were] dead bodies fallen⁶ to the earth, and none escaped.

And when Jehoshaphat and his people came⁴ to take away² the spoil of them, they found⁴ among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off¹⁷ for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering⁶ of the spoil, it was so much.

And on the fourth day they assembled⁸ themselves in the valley of Berachah; ¹²⁹⁴ for there they blessed¹⁴ the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called,¹ The valley of Berachah, ¹²⁹⁴ unto this day.

Then they returned,⁴ every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again² to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice¹⁴ over their enemies.⁶

And they came⁴ to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD.

And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of [those] countries, when they had heard² that the LORD fought⁸ against the enemies⁶ of Israel.

So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet:⁴ for his God gave him rest⁴ round about.

And Jehoshaphat reigned⁴ over Judah: [he was] thirty and five years old when he began to reign,² and he reigned¹ twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

And he walked⁴ in the way of Asa his father, and departed¹ not from it, doing² [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD.

Howbeit the high places were not taken away:¹ for as yet the people had not prepared⁵² their hearts unto the God of their fathers.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they [are] written⁷ in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who [is] mentioned⁹⁰ in the book of the kings of Israel.

And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join⁹⁸ himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did² very wickedly:⁵²

And he joined¹⁷ himself with him to make² ships to go² to Tarshish: and they made⁴ the ships in Eziongeber.

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied¹⁰¹ against Jehoshaphat, saying,² Because thou hast joined⁹⁹ thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken¹ thy works. And the ships were broken,¹¹ that they were not able¹ to go² to Tarshish.