| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites, attacked Jehoshaphat. | 1Sometime after these events, the Moabites and the Ammonites, accompanied by some other descendants of Ammon, attacked Jehoshaphat and started a war. |
| 2Messengers arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat, "A huge army is attacking you from the other side of the Dead Sea, from the direction of Edom. Look, they are in Hazezon Tamar (that is, En Gedi)." | 2Jehoshaphat's military advisors came and informed him, "We've been attacked by a vast invasion force from Aram, beyond the Dead Sea. Be advised—they've already reached Hazazon-tamar, also known as En-gedi." |
| 3Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the LORD's advice. He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast. | 3In mounting fear, Jehoshaphat devoted himself to seek the LORD. He proclaimed a period of fasting throughout all of the territory of Judah, |
| 4The people of Judah assembled to ask for the LORD's help; they came from all the cities of Judah to ask for the LORD's help. | 4and the tribe of Judah assembled together to seek the LORD. People came from all of the cities of Judah to seek the LORD. |
| 5Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the LORD's temple, in front of the new courtyard. | 5Jehoshaphat stood among the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the LORD's Temple in the vicinity of the new court |
| 6He prayed: "O LORD God of our ancestors, you are the God who lives in heaven and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you. | 6and said: "LORD God of our ancestors, you are the God who lives in heaven, are you not? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, don't you? In your own hands you grasp both strength and power, don't you? As a result, no one can oppose you, can they? |
| 7Our God, you drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession to the descendants of your friend Abraham. | 7You are our God, who expelled the former inhabitants of this land right in front of our people Israel, aren't you? Then you gave it to your friend Abraham's descendant forever, didn't you? |
| 8They settled down in it and built in it a temple to honor you, saying, | 8They lived in it and have built there a sanctuary for your name, where they said, |
| 9If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack, judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple. We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will hear and deliver us.' | 9If evil comes upon us, such as war as punishment, disease, or famine and we stand in your presence in this Temple (because your Name is in this Temple) and cry out to you in our distress, then you will hear and deliver.' |
| 10Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming! When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands. They bypassed them and did not destroy them. | 10Now therefore look! The Ammonites, the Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir, whom you would not permit Israel to attack when they arrived from the land of Egypt—since they turned away from them and did not eliminate them— |
| 11Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land which you assigned to us! | 11Look how they're rewarding us! They're coming to drive us from your property that you gave us to be our inheritance. |
| 12Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us! We don't know what we should do; we look to you for help." | 12Our God, you are going to punish them, aren't you? We have no strength to face this vast multitude that has come against us, nor do we know what to do, except that our eyes are on you." |
| 13All the men of Judah were standing before the LORD, along with their infants, wives, and children. | 13All of Judah was standing in the LORD's presence, along with their little babies, their wives, and their children. |
| 14Then in the midst of the assembly, the LORD's Spirit came upon Jachaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph. | 14Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Zechariah's son Jahaziel, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a descendant of Levi from the descendants of Asaph in the middle of the assembly, and he said: |
| 15He said: "Pay attention, all you people of Judah, residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Don't be afraid and don't panic because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God's. | 15"Pay attention, everyone in Judah, in Jerusalem, and you, too, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Stop being afraid, and stop being discouraged because of this vast invasion force, because the battle doesn't belong to you, but to God. |
| 16Tomorrow march down against them as they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the Desert of Jeruel. | 16Tomorrow you are to go down to attack them. Pay attention, now—they'll be coming up near the ascent of Ziz. You'll find them at the end of the valley that looks out over the Jeruel wilderness. |
| 17You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the LORD deliver you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Don't be afraid and don't panic! Tomorrow march out toward them; the LORD is with you!'" | 17You won't be fighting in this battle. Take your stand, but stand still, and watch the LORD's salvation on your behalf, Judah and Jerusalem! Never fear and never be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, since the LORD is with you.'" |
| 18Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD and worshiped him. | 18Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the assembled inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem fell face down in the LORD's presence and worshipped the LORD. |
| 19Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the LORD God of Israel. | 19Descendants of Levi from the descendants of Kohath and from the descendants of Korah stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel in a very loud voice that ascended to heaven. |
| 20Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: "Listen to me, you people of Judah and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the LORD your God and you will be safe! Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win." | 20The army got up early the next morning and headed out into the wilderness of Tekoa. Jehoshaphat stood up and addressed them. "Listen to me, you inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem," he said. "Have faith in the LORD your God and you'll be established! Have faith in his prophets and you'll succeed!" |
| 21He met with the people and appointed musicians to play before the LORD and praise his majestic splendor. As they marched ahead of the warriors they said: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his loyal love endures." | 21After he had consulted with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed some choir members to sing to the LORD and to praise him in sacred splendor as they marched out in front of the armed forces. They kept saying "Give thanks to the LORD, because his gracious love is eternal!" |
| 22When they began to shout and praise, the LORD suddenly attacked the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. | 22Right on time, as they began to sing and praise, the LORD ambushed the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir who had attacked Judah, and they were defeated. |
| 23The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir and annihilated them. When they had finished off the men of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another. | 23The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the inhabitants of Mount Seir, destroying them, and after they had finished with the inhabitants of Mount Seir, they worked on destroying one another! |
| 24When the men of Judah arrived at the observation post overlooking the desert and looked at the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors! | 24When the army of Judah arrived at the remotest watchtower in the wilderness, they looked around at the invasion force, and to their surprise, there were dead bodies lying all around on the ground—not one had escaped! |
| 25Jehoshaphat and his men went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount of supplies, clothing and valuable items. They carried away everything they could. There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off. | 25Later on, when Jehoshaphat and his army arrived to collect the spoils of war, they discovered there were far more goods, garments, and other valuable items to collect than they could carry off in a single day. There was so much material that it took three days to finish their collection efforts. |
| 26On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where they praised the LORD. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah to this very day. | 26Three days later, they assembled together in the Beracah Valley, where they blessed the LORD, which is why the name of that place is called Beracah Valley to this day. |
| 27Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat leading them; the LORD had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies. | 27Then they all returned with joy to Jerusalem, every soldier from Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at the head of the procession, because the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. |
| 28They entered Jerusalem to the sound of stringed instruments and trumpets and proceeded to the temple of the LORD. | 28They proceeded directly to the LORD's Temple, carrying lyres, harps, and trumpets. |
| 29All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God when they heard how the LORD had fought against Israel's enemies. | 29Fear of God seized all of the kingdoms in the surrounding territories when they heard that the LORD had battled Israel's enemies. |
| 30Jehoshaphat's kingdom enjoyed peace; his God made him secure on every side. | 30As a result, Jehoshaphat's kingdom enjoyed peace, because his God had provided rest for him all around. |
| 31Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. | 31Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah, having become king at the age of 35. He reigned in Jerusalem for 25 years. His mother's name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. |
| 32He followed in his father Asa's footsteps and was careful to do what the LORD approved. | 32He followed the example of his father Asa and never departed from it, practicing what the LORD considered to be right. |
| 33However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not devoted to the God of their ancestors. | 33However, the high places were not removed, since the people had not yet directed their hearts to the God of their ancestors. |
| 34The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat's reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani which are included in Scroll of the Kings of Israel. | 34The rest of Jehoshaphat's accomplishments, from first to last, are recorded in the annals of Hanani's son Jehu, which appears in the Book of the Kings of Israel. |
| 35Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who did evil. | 35Sometime later, King Jehoshaphat of Judah entered into a military alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, acting wickedly by doing so. |
| 36They agreed to make large seagoing merchant ships; they built the ships in Ezion Geber. | 36He also agreed with King Ahaziah to build ships to sail toward Tarshish, which they built in Ezion-geber. |
| 37Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, "Because you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD will shatter what you have made." The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea. | 37But Dodavahu's son Eliezer from Mareshah prophesied in opposition to Jehoshaphat, "Because you have entered into an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your efforts." So the ships were destroyed and were never able to sail for Tarshish. |
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