2 Chronicles 20
1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites, came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.
2 They came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Aram. They are already at Hazazon-tamar, that is, En-gedi.”
3 Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seeking the LORD. He proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.
4 Judah gathered to seek help from the LORD; people came from every town in Judah to seek the LORD.
5 Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, in front of the new courtyard.
6 He said, “LORD, God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are strength and power, and no one can stand against you.
7 Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham, your friend?
8 They lived in it and built a sanctuary for you there, for your name, saying:
9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—whether the sword of judgment, plague, or famine—we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house. We will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear and save us.’
10 Now here are the Ammonites, Moab, and Mount Seir. When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow Israel to enter their lands, so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.
11 But now they repay us by coming to drive us out of your inheritance, which you gave us to possess.
12 Our God, will you not judge them? We have no strength to face this vast army coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
13 All Judah stood before the LORD, along with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, the Levite, one of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
15 He said, “Listen, all Judah, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or dismayed by this vast army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 Tomorrow, go down against them. They will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley, facing the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand firm, and see the LORD’s deliverance for you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or dismayed. Tomorrow, go out to meet them, and the LORD will be with you.’”
18 Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD to worship him.
19 The Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, in a very loud voice.
20 They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Trust in the LORD your God, and you will stand firm; trust his prophets, and you will succeed.”
21 After consulting with the people, he appointed singers to the LORD, to praise him in the splendor of holiness. They went out ahead of the armed men, saying, “Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
22 At the moment they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the Ammonites, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were coming against Judah, and they were defeated.
23 The Ammonites and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to destroy them completely. When they had finished with the people of Seir, they turned on one another and destroyed each other.
24 Judah came to the lookout facing the wilderness and looked toward the army. There they saw bodies fallen on the ground, and no one had escaped.
25 Jehoshaphat and his people came to plunder their goods and found a great amount among them: possessions, bodies, and precious objects. They took more than they could carry. They spent three days plundering the goods, for there was so much.
26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the LORD. That is why the place was called the Valley of Beracah, as it is called to this day.
27 All the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had given them joy over their enemies.
28 They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets, and went to the house of the LORD.
29 The fear of God fell on all the kingdoms of those lands when they heard that the LORD had fought against Israel’s enemies.
30 Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, and his God gave him rest on every side.
31 Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi.
32 He followed the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.
33 However, the high places were not removed, and the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their ancestors.
34 The rest of Jehoshaphat’s acts, from first to last, are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which were included in the book of the kings of Israel.
35 After this, Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined forces with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly.
36 He joined with him to build ships that could sail to Tarshish, and they built the ships at Ezion-geber.
37 Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu, from Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat: “Because you joined forces with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your work.” The ships were wrecked and could not sail to Tarshish.
Read and listen to this chapter in the Shalem app, free: narration, chapter video and reading progress. Get the app