2 Chronicles 20

1After this, the Moabites and the Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle.

2Then they came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Aram; and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, En-gedi).

3And Jehoshaphat was afraid, and set his face to seek Yahweh, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

4And Judah gathered together to seek Yahweh; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek Yahweh.

5And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Yahweh, before the new court.

6and said, “O Yahweh, 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, and there is none who can stand against you.”

7Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the offspring of Abraham, your friend?

8And they lived in it and built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying,

9If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, 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 from our distress, and you will hear and save.

10And now, behold, the people of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you did not allow Israel to enter against when they came from the land of Egypt—for they turned away from them and did not destroy them—

11And behold, they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you gave us as an inheritance.

12Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power before this great multitude that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

13And all Judah was standing before Yahweh, even their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14And Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, the Levite, from the sons of Asaph—the Spirit of Yahweh came upon him in the midst of the assembly.

15And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says Yahweh to you, ‘Do not fear, and do not be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.’”

16Tomorrow go down against them. Look, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the wadi, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

17You will not need to fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed. Tomorrow go out before them, and Yahweh is with you.

18Then Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Yahweh to worship Yahweh.

19Then the Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and from the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were going out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in Yahweh your God, and you will be established; believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

21After consulting with the people, he appointed singers to Yahweh, who praised the splendor of holiness as they went out before the vanguard, saying, “Give thanks to Yahweh, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

22And at the time they began with singing and praise, Yahweh set ambushes against the Ammonites, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were coming against Judah, and they were struck down.

23Then the Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to devote them to destruction and to wipe them out; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped each other to destroy one another.

24When Judah came to the lookout over the wilderness, they turned toward the multitude, and behold, there were corpses lying on the ground, and there was no survivor.

25Then Jehoshaphat and his people came to plunder their spoil, and they found among them in abundance goods, garments, and desirable articles; and they took for themselves more than they could carry. They were three days plundering the spoil, because it was so much.

26On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, because there they blessed Yahweh. Therefore they called the name of that place the Valley of Beracah to this day.

27Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, to return to Jerusalem with joy, because Yahweh had made them rejoice over their enemies.

28And they came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of Yahweh.

29And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that Yahweh had fought against the enemies of Israel.

30So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, and his God gave him rest all around.

31And Jehoshaphat 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 daughter of Shilhi.

32He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the eyes of Yahweh.

33However, the high places were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts toward the God of their fathers.

34The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the first and the last, behold, they are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are included in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

35After this, Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly in doing so.

36So he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made ships at Ezion-geber.

37Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu, from Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you joined yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has broken your works.” So the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.