20:1 And after this came the children of
Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them [some] of the Kinaeans,
against Josaphat to battle.
20:2 And they came and told Josaphat, saying, There is come against thee a
great multitude from Syria, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in
Asasan Thamar, this is Engadi.
20:3 And Josaphat was alarmed, and set his face to seek the Lord earnestly,
and he proclaimed a fast in all Juda.
20:4 And Juda gathered themselves together to seek after the Lord: even from
all the cities of Juda they came to seek the Lord.
20:5 And Josaphat stood up in the assembly of Juda in Jerusalem, in the
house of the Lord, in front of the new court.
20:6 And he said, O Lord God of my fathers, art not thou God in heaven
above, and art not thou Lord of all the kingdoms of the nations? and [is
there] not in thy hand the might of dominion, and there is no one who can
resist thee?
20:7 Art not thou the Lord that didst destroy the inhabitants of this land
before the face of thy people Israel, and didst give it to thy beloved seed
of Abraham for ever?
20:8 And they dwelt in it, and built in it a sanctuary to thy name, saying,
20:9 If there should come upon us evils, sword, judgment, pestilence,
famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, (for thy name [is]
upon this house,) and we will cry to thee because of the affliction, and
thou shalt hear, and deliver.
20:10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon, and Moab, and mount Seir, with
regard to whom thou didst not permit Israel to pass through their border,
when they had come out of the land of Egypt, (for they turned away from
them, and did not destroy them;)--
20:11 yet now, behold, they make attempts against us, to come forth to cast
us out from our inheritance which thou gavest us.
20:12 O Lord our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no strength to
resist this great multitude that is come against us; and we know not what we
shall do to them: but our eyes are toward thee.
20:13 And all Juda was standing before the Lord, and their children, and
their wives.
20:14 And Oziel the [son] of Zacharias, of the children of Banaias, of the
sons of Eleiel, the sons of Matthanias the Levite, of the sons of Asaph,--
upon him came the Spirit of the Lord in the assembly:
20:15 and he said, Hear ye, all Juda, and the dwellers in Jerusalem, and
king Josaphat: Thus saith the Lord to you, even you, Fear not, neither be
alarmed, before all this great multitude; for the battle is not years, but
God's.
20:16 To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent
of Assis, and ye shall find them at the extremity of the river of the
wilderness of Jeriel.
20:7 It is not for you to fight: understand these things, and see the
deliverance of the Lord with you, Juda and Jerusalem: fear not, neither be
afraid to go forth to-morrow to meet them; and the Lord shall be with you.
20:18 And Josaphat bowed with his face [to the ground] with all Juda and the
dwellers in Jerusalem, [and] they fell before the Lord to worship the Lord.
20:19 And the Levites of the children of Caath, and [they] of the sons of
Core, rose up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
20:20 And they rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of
Thecoe: and as they went out, Josaphat stood and cried, and said, Hear me,
Juda, and the dwellers in Jerusalem; put your trust in the Lord God, and
your trust shall be honored; trust in his prophet, and ye shall prosper.
20:21 And he took counsel with the people, and set appointed men to sing
psalms and praises, to give thanks, and sing the holy songs of praise in
going forth before the host: and they said, Give thanks to the Lord, for his
mercy [endures] for ever.
20:22 And when they began the praise and thanksgiving, the Lord caused the
children of Ammon to fight against Moab, and [the inhabitants of] mount Seir
that came out against Juda; and they were routed.
20:23 Then the children of Ammon and Moab rose up against the dwellers in
mount Seir, to destroy and consume them; and when they had made an end of
[destroying] the inhabitants of Seir, they rose up against one another so
that they were utterly destroyed.
20:24 And Juda came to the watch-tower of the wilderness, and looked, and
saw the multitude, and, behold, [they were] all fallen dead upon the earth,
not one escaped.
20:25 And Josaphat and his people went out to spoil them, and they found
much cattle, and furniture, and spoils, and precious things: and they
spoiled them, and they were three days gathering the spoil, for it was
abundant.
20:26 And it came to pass on the fourth day they were gathered to the Valley
of Blessing; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore hey called the name
of the place the Valley of Blessing, until this day.
20:27 And all the men of Juda returned to Jerusalem, and Josaphat led them
with great joy; for the Lord gave them joy over their enemies.
20:28 And they entered into Jerusalem with lutes and harps and trumpets,
[going] into the house of the lord.
20:29 And there was a terror of the Lord upon all the kingdoms of the land,
when they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.
20:30 And the kingdom of Josaphat was at peace; and his God gave him rest
round about.
20:31 And Josaphat reigned over Juda, being thirty-five years [old] when he
began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem: and his
mother's name was Azuba, daughter of Sali.
20:32 And he walked in the ways of his father Asa, and turned not aside from
doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord.
20:33 nevertheless the high places yet remained; and as yet the people did
not direct their heart to the Lord God of their fathers.
20:34 And the rest of the acts of Josaphat, the first and the last, behold,
they are written in the history of Jeu [the son] of Anani, who wrote the
book of the kings of Israel.
20:35 And afterwards Josaphat king of Juda entered into an alliance with
Ochozias king of Israel, (now this was an unrighteous man,)
20:36 by acting [with] and going to him, to build ships to go to Tharsis:
and he built ships in Gasion Gaber.
20:37 And Eliezer thee [son] of Dodia of Marisa prophesied against Josaphat,
saying, Forasmuch as thou hast allied thyself with Ochozias, the Lord has
broken thy work, and thy vessels have been wrecked. And they could not go to
Tharsis. |
20:1 It 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.
20:2 Then 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.
20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and
proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
20:4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even
out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
20:5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in
the house of the LORD, before the new court,
20:6 And 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?
20:7 Art 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?
20:8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy
name, saying,
20:9 If, 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.
20:10 And 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;
20:11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy
possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
20:12 O 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.
20:13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their
wives, and their children.
20:14 Then 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;
20:15 And 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.
20:16 To 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.
20:17 Ye 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.
20:18 And 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.
20:19 And 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.
20:20 And 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.
20:21 And 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.
20:22 And 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.
20:23 For 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.
20:24 And 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.
20:25 And 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.
20:26 And 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.
20:27 Then 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.
20:28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto
the house of the LORD.
20:29 And 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.
20:30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round
about.
20:31 And 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.
20:32 And 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.
20:33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had
not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.
20:34 Now 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.
20:35 And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah
king of Israel, who did very wickedly:
20:36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and
they made the ships in Eziongaber.
20:37 Then 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. |