World English Bible

Chapter 20

¹It happened after this, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. ²Then there came some who told Jehoshaphat, saying, There comes a great multitude against you from beyond the sea from Syria; and behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar (the same is En Gedi). ³Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek to Yahweh; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴Judah gathered themselves together, to seek help of Yahweh: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Yahweh. ⁵Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Yahweh, before the new court; ⁶and he said, Yahweh, the God of our fathers, aren’t you God in heaven? and aren’t you ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? and in your hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. ⁷Did not you, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham your friend forever? ⁸They lived therein, and have built you a sanctuary therein for your name, saying, ⁹If evil come on us, the sword, judgment, 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 affliction, and you will hear and save. ¹⁰Now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and didn’t destroy them; ¹¹behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. ¹²Our God, will you not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that comes against us; neither know we what to do: but out eyes are on you. ¹³All Judah stood before Yahweh, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. ¹⁴Then on Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of Yahweh in the midst of the assembly; ¹⁵and he said, Listen you, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you king Jehoshaphat: Thus says Yahweh to you, Don’t be afraid you, neither be dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶Tomorrow go you down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and you shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷You shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand you still, and see the salvation of Yahweh with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed: tomorrow go out against them: for Yahweh is with you. ¹⁸Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Yahweh, worshipping Yahweh. ¹⁹The Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, with an exceeding loud voice. ²⁰They rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in Yahweh your God, so shall you be established; believe his prophets, so shall you prosper. ²¹When he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who should sing to Yahweh, and give praise in holy array, as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks to Yahweh; for his loving kindness endures forever. ²²When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set ambushers against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were struck. ²³For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to kill and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy another. ²⁴When Judah came to the place overlooking the wilderness, they looked at the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none who escaped. ²⁵When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. ²⁶On the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Beracah; for there they blessed Yahweh: therefore the name of that place was called The valley of Beracah to this day. ²⁷Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Yahweh had made them to rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸They came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets to the house of Yahweh. ²⁹The fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that Yahweh fought against the enemies of Israel. ³⁰So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet; for his God gave him rest round about. ³¹Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ³²He walked in the way of Asa his father, and didn’t turn aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh. ³³However the high places were not taken away; neither as yet had the people set their hearts to the God of their fathers. ³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is inserted in the book of the kings of Israel. ³⁵After this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel; the same did very wickedly: ³⁶and he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made the ships in Ezion Geber. ³⁷Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your works. The ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.