HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 768
2 C H RO N I C L ES 1 9
24 And Micaiah replied, “You will find out
soon enough when you are trying to hide in
some secret room!”
25 “Arrest him!” the king of Israel ordered.
“Take him back to Amon, the governor of the
city, and to my son Joash. 26 Give them this order
from the king: ‘Put this man in prison, and feed
him nothing but bread and water until I return
safely from the battle!’”
27 But Micaiah replied, “If you return safely, it
will mean that the Lord has not spoken through
me!” Then he added to those standing around,
“Everyone mark my words!”
The Death of Ahab
28 So King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah led their armies against Ramothgilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,
“As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no
one will recognize me, but you wear your royal
robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself,
and they went into battle.
30 Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued
these orders to his chariot commanders: “Attack only the king of Israel! Don’t bother with
anyone else.” 31 So when the Aramean chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal
robes, they went after him. “There is the king
of Israel!” they shouted. But Jehoshaphat called
out, and the Lord saved him. God helped him
by turning the attackers away from him. 32 As
soon as the chariot commanders realized he
was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him.
33 An Aramean soldier, however, randomly
shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the
king of Israel between the joints of his armor.
“Turn the horses* and get me out of here!” Ahab
groaned to the driver of the chariot. “I’m badly
wounded!”
34 The battle raged all that day, and the king of
Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing
the Arameans. In the evening, just as the sun
was setting, he died.
Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges
When King Jehoshaphat of Judah arrived
safely home in Jerusalem, 2 Jehu son of
Hanani the seer went out to meet him. “Why
should you help the wicked and love those
who hate the Lord?” he asked the king. “Because of what you have done, the Lord is very
angry with you. 3 Even so, there is some good in
you, for you have removed the Asherah poles
throughout the land, and you have committed
yourself to seeking God.”
4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, but he went
out among the people, traveling from Beersheba
to the hill country of Ephraim, encouraging the
people to return to the Lord, the God of their
ancestors. 5 He appointed judges throughout the
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nation in all the fortified towns, 6 and he said to
them, “Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment. Remember that you do not judge
to please people but to please the Lord. He will
be with you when you render the verdict in each
case. 7 Fear the Lord and judge with integrity,
for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted
justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.”
8 In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat appointed some
of the Levites and priests and clan leaders in
Israel to serve as judges* for cases involving the
Lord’s regulations and for civil disputes. 9 These
were his instructions to them: “You must always
act in the fear of the Lord, with faithfulness and
an undivided heart. 10 Whenever a case comes
to you from fellow citizens in an outlying town,
whether a murder case or some other violation
of God’s laws, commands, decrees, or regulations, you must warn them not to sin against the
Lord, so that he will not be angry with you and
them. Do this and you will not be guilty.
11 “Amariah the high priest will have final say
in all cases involving the Lord. Zebadiah son of
Ishmael, a leader from the tribe of Judah, will
have final say in all civil cases. The Levites will
assist you in making sure that justice is served.
Take courage as you fulfill your duties, and may
the Lord be with those who do what is right.”
War with Surrounding Nations
After this, the armies of the Moabites,
Ammonites, and some of the Meunites*
declared war on Jehoshaphat. 2 Messengers
came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from
Edom* is marching against you from beyond the
Dead Sea.* They are already at Hazazon-tamar.”
(This was another name for En-gedi.)
3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and
begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered
everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people
from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem
to seek the Lord’s help.
5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of
Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed,
“O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are
the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all
the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and
mighty; no one can stand against you! 7 O our
God, did you not drive out those who lived in
this land when your people Israel arrived? And
did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people
settled here and built this Temple to honor your
name. 9 They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with
any calamity such as war,* plague, or famine,
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18:33 Hebrew Turn your hand. 19:8 As in Greek version;
the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. 20:1 As in some
Greek manuscripts (see also 26:7); Hebrew repeats Ammonites.
20:2a As in one Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts
and ancient versions read Aram. 20:2b Hebrew the sea.
20:9 Or sword of judgment; or sword, judgment.