1 A fter this, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and with them the Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

After this the men of Moab, and Ammon, and some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.

2 I t was told Jehoshaphat, A great multitude has come against you from beyond the Sea, from Edom; and behold they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.

Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “Very many people are coming against you from the other side of the sea, from Syria. See, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is, Engedi).”

3 T hen Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord; he proclaimed a fast in all Judah.

Jehoshaphat was afraid and decided to call on the Lord. He made a special time of not eating in all Judah.

4 A nd Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

And Judah gathered together to pray for help from the Lord. They came to the Lord from all the cities of Judah to call on the Lord.

5 A nd Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court

Jehoshaphat stood among the people of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, in front of the new open space.

6 A nd said, O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? And do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In Your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand You.

Then he said, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? Do You not rule over all the nations? Power and strength are in Your hand, so that no one is able to stand against You.

7 D id not You, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?

O our God, did You not make the people of this land leave so that Your people Israel could have it and give it to the children of Your friend Abraham forever?

8 T hey dwelt in it and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your Name, saying,

And they have lived in it. They have built You a holy place in it for Your name, saying,

9 I f evil comes upon us, the sword of 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.

‘If what is bad comes upon us, fighting, hard times, disease, or no food, we will stand in front of this house. And we will stand before You, (for Your name is in this house). We will cry to You in our trouble. And You will hear and take us out of trouble.’

10 A nd now behold, the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they turned from and did not destroy—

Now see the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel fight when they came from the land of Egypt. (They turned aside from them and did not destroy them.)

11 B ehold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.

Look how they are paying us back. They are coming to make us leave Your land which You have given to us.

12 O our God, will You not exercise judgment upon them? For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.

O our God, will You not punish them? For we have no power against all these men who are coming against us. We do not know what to do. But our eyes look to You.”

13 A nd all Judah stood before the Lord, with their children and their wives.

And all the men of Judah were standing before the Lord, with their babies, their wives, and their children.

14 T hen the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph, as he stood among the people.

15 H e said, Hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

He said, “Listen, all Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says to you, ‘Do not be afraid or troubled because of these many men. For the battle is not yours but God’s.

16 T omorrow go down to them. Behold, they will come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ravine before the Wilderness of Jeruel.

Go down to fight them tomorrow. See, they will come up by the hill of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, in front of the desert of Jeruel.

17 Y ou shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.

You will not need to fight in this battle. Just stand still in your places and see the saving power of the Lord work for you, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid or troubled. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you.”

18 A nd Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping Him.

Then Jehoshaphat put his face to the ground. And all Judah and the people of Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.

19 A nd some Levites of the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

The Levites, of the Kohathites and Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 A nd they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established; believe and remain steadfast to His prophets and you shall prosper.

They got up early in the morning and went out to the desert of Tekoa. When they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and people of Jerusalem. Trust in the Lord your God, and you will be made strong. Trust in the men who speak for Him, and you will do well.”

21 W hen he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy garments as they went out before the army, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!

When he had spoken with the people, he called those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy clothing. They went out in front of the army and said, “Give thanks to the Lord. For His loving-kindness lasts forever.”

22 A nd when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were slaughtered;

When they began to sing and praise, the Lord set traps against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah. So they were destroyed.

23 F or the men of Ammon and Moab rose against those of Mount Seir, utterly destroying them. And when they had made an end of the men of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

The men of Ammon and Moab fought against the people of Mount Seir, and killed all of them. And when they finished with the people of Seir, they all helped to kill each other.

24 A nd when Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked at the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped!

Judah came to the place where they could look out over the desert. When they looked toward the armies, they saw that dead bodies were lying on the ground. No one had been left alive.

25 W hen Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil, they found among them much cattle, goods, garments, and precious things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away, so much they were three days in gathering the spoil.

So Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away what they wanted from them. They found cattle, many good things, clothing, and things of great worth, which they took for themselves. There was more than they could carry. It took them three days to take all the things, because there was so much.

26 O n the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah. There they blessed the Lord. So the name of the place is still called the Valley of Beracah.

They gathered together in the Valley of Beracah on the fourth day. There they praised and thanked the Lord. So the name of that place has been the Valley of Beracah to this day.

27 T hen they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat leading them, to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

Then every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat leading them. They returned to Jerusalem with joy. For the Lord had filled them with joy by saving them from those who hated them.

28 T hey came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house of the Lord.

They came to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem with horns and different kinds of harps.

29 A nd the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.

And the fear of God came upon all the nations of the lands, when they heard that the Lord had fought against those who hate Israel.

30 S o the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about.

So the nation of Jehoshaphat was at peace. His God gave him rest on all sides. The End of Jehoshaphat’s Rule

31 T hus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began his twenty-five-year reign in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

So Jehoshaphat ruled over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

32 A nd he walked in the ways of Asa his father and departed not from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord.

Jehoshaphat walked in the way of his father Asa, and did not leave it. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

33 B ut the high places were not taken away, for the people had not yet set their hearts on their fathers’ God.

But the high places were not taken away. The people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their fathers.

34 N ow the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, they are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the story of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is written in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

35 A fter this, Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly.

After this King Jehoshaphat of Judah joined with King Ahaziah of Israel who was very sinful.

36 H e joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish, building them in Ezion-geber.

He joined him in making ships to go to Tarshish. They made the ships in Ezion-geber.

37 T hen Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have joined Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy your works. So the ships were wrecked and unable to go to Tarshish.

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah told what would happen against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” So the ships were wrecked, and could not go to Tarshish.