II Chronicles 20

¹After this also came the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and with them of the Ammonites against Iehoshaphat to battell.

²Then there came that tolde Iehoshaphat, saying, There commeth a great multitude against thee from beyonde the Sea, out of Aram: and beholde, they bee in Hazzon Tamar, which is En-gedi.

³And Iehoshaphat feared, and set him selfe to seeke the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Iudah.

⁴And Iudah gathered them selues together to aske counsel of the Lord: they came euen out of all the cities of Iudah to inquire of the Lord,

⁵And Iehoshaphat stoode in the Congregation of Iudah and Ierusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court,

⁶And saide, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heauen? and reignest not thou on all the kingdomes of the heathen? and in thine hande is power and might, and none is able to withstand thee.

⁷Diddest not thou our God cast out ye inhabitants of this lande before thy people Israel, and gauest it to the seede of Abraham thy friende for euer?

⁸And they dwelt therein, and haue built thee a Sanctuarie therein for thy Name, saying,

⁹If euill come vpon vs, as the sworde of iudgement, or pestilence, or famine, we will stande before this house and in thy presence (for thy name is in this house) and will crie vnto thee in our tribulation, and thou wilt heare and helpe.

¹⁰And now beholde, the children of Ammon and Moab, and mount Seir, by whome thou wouldest not let Israel goe, when they came out of the land of Egypt: but they turned aside from them, and destroyed them not:

¹¹Behold, I say, they reward vs, in comming to cast vs out of thine inheritance, which thou hast caused vs to inherit.

¹²O our God, wilt thou not iudge them? for there is no strength in vs to stand before this great multitude that commeth against vs, neither doe wee knowe what to doe: but our eyes are toward thee.

¹³And all Iudah stoode before the Lord with their yong ones, their wiues, and their children.

¹⁴And Iahaziel the sonne of Zechariah the sonne of Benaiah, the sonne of Ieiel, the sonne of Mattaniah, a Leuite of the sonnes of Asaph was there, vpon whome came the Spirite of ye Lord, in the middes of the Congregation.

¹⁵And he said, Hearken ye, all Iudah, and ye inhabitantes of Ierusalem, and thou, King Iehoshaphat: thus saith the Lord vnto you, Feare you not, neither be afraide for this great multitude: for the battel is not yours, but Gods.

¹⁶To morowe goe yee downe against them: beholde, they come vp by the cleft of Ziz, and ye shall finde them at the ende of the brooke before the wildernesse of Ieruel.

¹⁷Ye shall not neede to fight in this battell: stand still, moue not, and behold the saluation of the Lord towardes you: O Iudah, and Ierusalem, feare ye not, neither be afraid: to morow goe out against them, and the Lord wilbe with you.

¹⁸Then Iehoshaphat bowed downe with his face to the earth, and all Iudah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem fell downe before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

¹⁹And the Leuites of the children of the Kohathites and of the childre of the Corhites stood vp to prayse the Lord God of Israel with a loude voyce on hie.

²⁰And when they arose early in the morning, they went forth to the wildernesse of Tekoa: and as they departed, Iehoshaphat stoode and sayde, Heare ye me, O Iudah, and ye inhabitants of Ierusalem: put your trust in the Lord your God, and ye shalbe assured: beleeue his Prophets, and ye shall prosper.

²¹And when he had consulted with the people, and appoynted singers vnto the Lord, and them that should prayse him that is in the beautifull Sanctuarie, in going forth before the men of armes, and saying, Prayse ye the Lord, for his mercy lasteth for euer,

²²And when they began to shoute, and to prayse, the Lord layed ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Iudah, and they slewe one another.

²³For the children of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of mount Seir, to slay and to destroy them and when they had made an end of the inhabitantes of Seir, euery one helped to destroy another.

²⁴And when Iudah came towarde Mizpah in the wildernes, they looked vnto the multitude: and behold, the carkeises were fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

²⁵And when Iehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoyle of them, they founde among them in abundance both of substance and also of bodies laden with precious iewels, which they tooke for themselues, till they could cary no more: they were three dayes in gathering of the spoyle: for it was much.

²⁶And in the fourth day they assembled themselues in the valley of Berachah: for there they blessed the Lord: therefore they called the name of that place, The valley of Berachah vnto this day.

²⁷Then euery man of Iudah and Ierusalem returned with Iehoshaphat their head, to goe againe to Ierusalem with ioy: for the Lord had made them to reioyce ouer their enemies.

²⁸And they came to Ierusalem with viols and with harpes, and with trumpets, euen vnto the house of the Lord.

²⁹And the feare of God was vpon all the kingdomes of the earth, whe they had heard that the Lord had fought against ye enemies of Israel.

³⁰So the kingdom of Iehoshaphat was quiet, and his God gaue him rest on euery side.

³¹And Iehoshaphat reigned ouer Iudah, and was fiue and thirtie yeere olde, when he began to reigne: and reigned fiue and twentie yeere in Ierusalem, and his mothers name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

³²And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not therefrom, doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord.

³³Howbeit the hie places were not taken away: for the people had not yet prepared their hearts vnto the God of their fathers.

³⁴Concerning the rest of the actes of Iehoshaphat first and last, beholde, they are written in the booke of Iehu the sonne of Hanani, which is mentioned in the booke of the kings of Israel.

³⁵Yet after this did Iehoshaphat King of Iudah ioyne himselfe with Ahaziah King of Israel, who was giuen to do euill.

³⁶And he ioyned with him, to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the shippes in Ezion Gaber.

³⁷Then Eliezer ye sonne of Dodauah of Mareshah prophecied against Iehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast ioyned thy selfe with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy workes. and the shippes were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

II Chronicles 20

¹It 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.

²Then 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 Hazazon–tamar, which is En–gedi.

³And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

⁴And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

⁵And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,

⁶And 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?

⁷Art 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?

⁸And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

⁹If, 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.

¹⁰And 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;

¹¹Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

¹²O 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.

¹³And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

¹⁴Then 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;

¹⁵And 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.

¹⁶To 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.

¹⁷Ye 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.

¹⁸And 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.

¹⁹And 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.

²⁰And 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.

²¹And 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.

²²And 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.

²³For 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.

²⁴And 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.

²⁵And 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.

²⁶And 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.

²⁷Then 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.

²⁸And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the Lord.

²⁹And 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.

³⁰So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.

³¹And 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.

³²And 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.

³³Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.

³⁴Now 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.

³⁵And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:

³⁶And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion–geber.

³⁷Then 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.