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we can come to stand in your presence before
this Temple where your name is honored. We
can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear
us and rescue us.’
10 “And now see what the armies of Ammon,
Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not
let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and
did not destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of
your land, which you gave us as an inheritance.
12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to
attack us. We do not know what to do, but we
are looking to you for help.”
13 As all the men of Judah stood before the
Lord with their little ones, wives, and children,
14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the
men standing there. His name was Jahaziel
son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel,
son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.
15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah
and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This
is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be
discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle
is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march
out against them. You will find them coming
up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the
valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your
positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s
victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and
Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is
with you!”
18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his
face to the ground. And all the people of Judah
and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the
Lord. 19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the
God of Israel, with a very loud shout.
20 Early the next morning the army of Judah
went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the
way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to
me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able
to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you
will succeed.”
21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy
splendor. This is what they sang:
“Give thanks to the Lord;
his faithful love endures forever!”
22 At the very moment they began to sing
and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of
20:25 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Latin Vulgate;
most Hebrew manuscripts read corpses. 20:26 Hebrew valley
of Beracah.
2 CHR ONICL ES 20
Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting
among themselves. 23 The armies of Moab and
Ammon turned against their allies from Mount
Seir and killed every one of them. After they had
destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking
each other. 24 So when the army of Judah arrived
at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they
saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far
as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy
had escaped.
— promises —
from God
“Believe in the Lord
your God, and you will
be able to stand firm.”
2 C H R O N I C LE S 2 0:2 0
25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to
gather the plunder. They found vast amounts
of equipment, clothing,* and other valuables—
more than they could carry. There was so much
plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in
the Valley of Blessing,* which got its name that
day because the people praised and thanked
the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of
Blessing today.
27 Then all the men returned to Jerusalem,
with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that
the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. 28 They marched into Jerusalem to the
music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they
proceeded to the Temple of the Lord.
29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard
that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them.
30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for
his God had given him rest on every side.
Summary of Jehoshaphat’s Reign
31 So Jehoshaphat ruled over the land of Judah.
He was thirty-five years old when he became
king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five
years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter
of Shilhi.
32 Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the
ways of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. 33 During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines,
and the people never fully committed themselves to follow the God of their ancestors.
34 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s
reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in
The Record of Jehu Son of Hanani, which is included in The Book of the Kings of Israel.
35 Some time later King Jehoshaphat of Judah