2 Chronicles 20

Some time after this, the people of Moab and the people of Ammon, along with others besides the Ammonites, came to make war on Jehoshaphat.

1It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

NoteMoab and Ammon were long-standing neighbors east of the Dead Sea; Israelite tradition traced both peoples back to Lot, Abraham's nephew, so they counted as distant kin. The phrase behind "others besides the Ammonites" is unclear in the Hebrew; ancient Greek copies and many modern translations read it as "Meunites," a people associated with the region south of the Dead Sea.

2Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A huge army is coming against you from beyond the Sea, from the direction of Syria. They are already at Hazazon-tamar, which is another name for En-gedi."

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

Note"The Sea" here is the Dead Sea, so the army is approaching from its far (eastern and southern) side. The Hebrew says the attack comes from "Aram" (Syria), but Syria lies far to the north and makes little sense of the route; the words for Aram and Edom differ by one easily confused letter, and Edom, the territory south of the Dead Sea, fits the march described. En-gedi is a spring-fed oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, about twenty-five miles from Jerusalem.

3Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he made up his mind to ask the LORD what to do. He announced a fast throughout all Judah.

3And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

Note"To seek the LORD" is a set phrase meaning to inquire of God for a decision or answer, usually through a prophet or at the temple, not simply to feel devout. A publicly proclaimed fast was an emergency measure: going without food marked the whole nation as being in crisis and put the ordinary business of life on hold.

4So the people of Judah gathered to ask the LORD for help. They came from every town in Judah to seek him.

4And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

5Jehoshaphat stood up among the gathered people of Judah and Jerusalem, in the LORD's temple, in front of the new courtyard.

5And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

NoteThe temple had open courtyards around the building itself, where ordinary people gathered; only priests entered the building. "The new court" suggests an addition or renovation known to the original readers but not described elsewhere.

6He said, "LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God in heaven? Do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and strength are in your hand, and no one can stand against you.

6And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest 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 withstand thee?

7Are you not our God? You drove out the people who lived in this land ahead of your people Israel, and you gave the land forever to the descendants of Abraham, your friend.

7Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

NoteCalling Abraham God's "friend" was a recognized title of honor, still used of him in Isaiah 41:8 and later Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition.

8They have lived in it, and they have built a holy house here for your name. They said,

8And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

Note"For your name" is a standard Hebrew way of saying the building belongs to God and is where he has agreed to be found; the "name" stands for the presence and reputation of the one named.

9'If trouble comes on us, whether war, or punishment, or disease, or hunger, we will stand in front of this temple and in your presence, because your name is in this temple. We will cry out to you in our trouble, and you will hear us and rescue us.'

9If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

NoteJehoshaphat is quoting back the prayer Solomon prayed when the temple was dedicated (2 Chronicles 6:28–30), in which Solomon asked that God hear anyone who prayed toward this building in time of war, plague or famine. The list (sword, judgment, plague, famine) is a stock catalogue of national disasters.

10Now look at these people from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir. You would not allow Israel to invade their land when Israel came out of Egypt, so Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.

10And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

NoteMount Seir is the mountainous country of Edom, south-east of the Dead Sea. The reference is to Deuteronomy 2, where Israel on the way from Egypt was forbidden to attack Edom, Moab or Ammon because their lands had been assigned to them; Israel detoured around them instead. The complaint is that these nations are now attacking people who once spared them.

11Look how they are paying us back. They are coming to drive us out of the land you own, the land you gave us to keep.

11Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

12Our God, will you not judge them? We have no strength against this huge army coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

12O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

13All the men of Judah stood there before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

13And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

NoteHebrew distinguishes "little ones" (dependants, the very young) from grown sons and daughters; listing all of them stresses that entire households, not just fighting men, turned out for the assembly.

14Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel, right there in the middle of the assembly. Jahaziel was the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite descended from Asaph.

14Then 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;

NoteLevites were the tribe assigned to service at the temple rather than to a territory of their own. The descendants of Asaph were the temple's singers and musicians (1 Chronicles 25), so the message here comes from a member of the choir, not from a professional prophet.

15He said, "Listen, all you people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat. This is what the LORD says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this huge army, because the battle is not yours but God's.

15And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

16Tomorrow march down against them. They will be coming up the slope of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley, facing the wilderness of Jeruel.

16To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

NoteThe "slope" or "ascent" of Ziz is a pass climbing west from the Dead Sea shore toward the Judean hills. The word rendered "valley" is a wadi, a ravine that carries water only after rain and serves as a natural road the rest of the year.

17You will not need to fight this battle. Take your places, stand still, and watch the LORD rescue you, people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you."

17Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

18Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem fell down before the LORD and worshiped him.

18And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

19Then the Levites from the families of Kohath and Korah stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, shouting as loudly as they could.

19And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

NoteKohath and Korah were family lines within the tribe of Levi; the Korahites were a branch of the Kohathites, and several psalms carry their name as temple singers.

20Early the next morning they got up and set out for the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem. Trust the LORD your God, and you will stand firm. Trust his prophets, and you will succeed."

20And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

NoteTekoa was a town about ten miles south of Jerusalem; the "wilderness of Tekoa" is the barren land dropping east from it toward the Dead Sea. Jehoshaphat's sentence is a play on words: the Hebrew for "believe" and the Hebrew for "be established, stand firm" are forms of the same root, roughly "trust and you will be trusty."

21After talking it over with the people, he chose men to sing to the LORD and to praise the splendor of his holiness. They marched out ahead of the army, singing, "Give thanks to the LORD, because his faithful love lasts forever."

21And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Note"The beauty of holiness" translates a phrase whose sense is disputed: it may mean the splendor of God's holiness, or the sacred garments the singers wore for worship. The words they sing are the standing refrain of Israel's temple worship, repeated throughout Psalm 136; the word behind "faithful love" (hesed) means loyalty to an agreement, not simply affection. Sending unarmed singers ahead of the troops reverses normal battle order.

22The moment they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.

22And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

NoteThe Hebrew does not say who the "ambushes" were, and readers have understood it either as human raiders or as an unexplained force; the account that follows describes only the invaders turning on each other.

23The people of Ammon and Moab turned on the people from Mount Seir and wiped them out completely. When they had finished off the people of Seir, they turned on each other and destroyed one another.

23For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

NoteThe Hebrew phrase behind "wiped them out completely" is the technical term for devoting an enemy to destruction, killing rather than capturing, and taking no share of them as property. It is the same term used of Israel's own conquest wars.

24When the men of Judah reached the lookout point over the wilderness, they looked toward the huge army, and all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground. No one had escaped.

24And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

25Jehoshaphat and his people went to take the goods left behind. Among the bodies they found large amounts of property and valuable jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves. There was more than they could carry, so it took them three days to collect it.

25And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

NoteThe Hebrew here is uncertain: the word read as "among them" is very close to the word for "cattle," and some ancient copies describe livestock among the plunder rather than goods on the bodies.

26On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Berachah, where they praised the LORD. That is why the place is still called the Valley of Berachah today.

26And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

NoteBerachah is the Hebrew word for "blessing," so the place-name records what happened there. "To this day" is the writer's own time, centuries after the events, and is a standard way of noting that a name or custom was still current when the book was compiled.

27Then every man of Judah and Jerusalem headed back to Jerusalem with joy, with Jehoshaphat leading them, because the LORD had given them reason to celebrate over their enemies.

27Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

28They entered Jerusalem and went to the LORD's temple with lyres, harps, and trumpets.

28And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD.

NoteTwo different stringed instruments are meant, one smaller and one larger; the trumpets are the straight silver ones blown by priests on state and religious occasions, not the curved ram's horn.

29All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God when they heard that the LORD had fought against Israel's enemies.

29And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.

30So Jehoshaphat's kingdom was at peace, because his God gave him rest on every side.

30So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.

31Jehoshaphat ruled over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.

31And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

NoteThe books of Kings and Chronicles record the mother's name for each king of Judah as a matter of course: the queen mother held a recognized position at court, outranking the king's wives. Jehoshaphat's stated age and reign length overlap with his father's final years, which is usually explained as a period of joint rule.

32He lived the way his father Asa had lived and did not turn away from it. He did what was right in the LORD's sight.

32And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.

33Even so, the high places, the local hilltop places of worship, were not removed, because the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their fathers.

33Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.

NoteHigh places were open-air worship sites on hilltops, with an altar and often a standing stone or wooden pole. They were the normal way to worship locally, sometimes directed at the LORD and sometimes at other gods; the writers of Kings and Chronicles judge each king by whether he shut them down in favor of the Jerusalem temple alone.

34The rest of what Jehoshaphat did, from beginning to end, is written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are included in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

34Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.

NoteThese are royal and prophetic archives that no longer survive; they are not the biblical books of Kings. Chronicles regularly signs off a reign by pointing readers to fuller records it assumes they can consult.

35Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wicked things.

35And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:

NoteIsrael here means the separate northern kingdom, split from Judah after Solomon's death; Chronicles consistently treats alliances between the two royal houses as a mistake on Judah's part.

36He joined with him to build ships that would sail to Tarshish, and they built the ships at Ezion-geber.

36And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongaber.

NoteTarshish was a distant port, probably in the western Mediterranean, and "ships of Tarshish" had become a term for large ocean-going vessels regardless of destination. Ezion-geber sat at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, on the Red Sea, from which no ship could reach the Mediterranean; the parallel account in 1 Kings 22:48 says the ships were bound for Ophir.

37Then Eliezer son of Dodavah, from Mareshah, spoke against Jehoshaphat as a prophet. He said, "Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the LORD has wrecked what you built." The ships were wrecked and could not sail to Tarshish.

37Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

NoteThe Hebrew uses one verb for both halves of the sentence: what God does to Jehoshaphat's enterprise is exactly what happens to the ships: they are broken.