2 Chronicles, Chapter 20:

Verses from 2 Chronicles, Chapter 20 of the Bible book.

2 Chronicles - Old Testament — 2 Chronicles – Old Testament

Jehoshaphat defeats Moab and Ammon

1. After this the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites came to war against Jehoshaphat.
2. Jehoshaphat was told, “A large army is coming against you from Edom, across the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon Tamar (that is, En Gedi).
3. Then Jehoshaphat was alarmed and resolved to seek the Lord by proclaiming a fast throughout all Judah.
4. The people of Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord, coming from all the cities of Judah.
5. Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the temple of the Lord, before the new courtyard,
6. and he prayed: “O Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God of heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
7. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham your friend forever?
8. They dwelt therein, and built a sanctuary for thee in honour of thy name, saying,
9. 'If evil comes upon us, whether sword, judgment, pestilence or famine, we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house, and we will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.'
10. Now, behold, the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom you did not allow Israel to invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, because they turned away from them and did not destroy them,
11. They have come to recompense us by coming to drive us out of the land you gave us as an inheritance.
12. O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we have no power to withstand this great army that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
13. All Judah stood before the Lord, 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, a Levite and a descendant of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
15. And he said, "Listen, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: 'Do not be afraid or dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16. Tomorrow you will go down against them; behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will meet them at the end of the valley, opposite the wilderness of Jeruel.
17. You will not need to fight in this battle; take up your positions, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or dismayed; go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you.'
18. Then Jehoshaphat fell facedown to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord and worshiped him.
19. Then the Levites, descendants of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20. Early in the morning they set out for the Desert of Tekoa. As they were leaving, Jehoshaphat said to them, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, so you will be established; believe his prophets, so you will prosper.”
21. After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed some to sing to the Lord and praise him for his holiness as they went ahead of the army, singing: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his mercy endures forever.”
22. When they began to sing praises, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.
23. The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them; and when they had finished destroying them, they helped to destroy one another.
24. When Judah came to the lookout point in the wilderness and looked at the crowd, there were only dead bodies lying on the ground; not a single one escaped.
25 Then Jehoshaphat and his men went to plunder the dead bodies, and they found among them goods, precious clothes, and valuable articles, so much that they could not carry it all away; there was more than they could carry. They spent three days plundering the plunder, because there was so much.
26 On the fourth day they gathered together in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the Lord. Therefore they called that place the Valley of Beracah to this day.
27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returned to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had given them joy by delivering them from their enemies.
28. They entered Jerusalem, to the house of the Lord, accompanied by harps, lyres and trumpets.
29. And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the earth, when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30. So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest on every side.

The end of Jehoshaphat's reign

31. Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah, and was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
32 He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
33. Yet the high places were not removed, for the people had not yet prepared their hearts for the God of their fathers.
34. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from beginning to end, are they not written in the book of Jehu son of Hanani, which is included in the book of the kings of Israel?
35. After this, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who was acting wickedly.
36. They joined together to build merchant ships in Ezion Geber.
37 Then Eliezer son of Dodavah from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have made a covenant with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy your works that you have done.” So the ships were wrecked and could not continue their voyage for trade.