2 Chronicles 20

1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moav, and the children of Ammon, and with them other besides the Ammonites, came against Yehoshafat to battle.

2 Then there came some that told Yehoshafat, saying, “There cometh a great multitude against you from beyond the sea on this side Syria (Aram); and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.

3 And Yehoshafat feared, and set himself to seek יהוה, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah (Yehudah).

4 And Judah (Yehudah) gathered themselves together, to ask help of יהוה; even out of all the cities of Judah (Yehudah) they came to seek יהוה.

5 And Yehoshafat stood in the congregation of Judah (Yehudah) and Jerusalem (Yerushalayim), in the house of יהוה, before the new court,

6 And said, “O יהוה God (Elohim) of our fathers, art not You God (Elohim) in heaven? And rulest not You over all the kingdoms of the nations? And in Your hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand You?

7 Art not You our God (Elohim), who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Yisrael, and gavest it to the seed of Avraham Your friend forever?

8 And they dwelt therein, and have built You a sanctuary therein for Your name, saying,

9 ‘If disaster (raah) cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in Your presence, (for Your name is in this house,) and cry unto You in our affliction, then You wilt hear and help.’

10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moav and Mount Seir, whom You wouldest not let Yisrael invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt (Mitsrayim), but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of Your possession, which You have given us to inherit.

12 O our God (Elohim), wilt You 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 You.”

13 And all Judah (Yehudah) stood before יהוה, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14 Then upon Yachaziel the son of Zechariah (Zekharyahu), the son of Benayah, the son of Yeiel, the son of Mattanyah, a Lewite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit (Ruach) of יהוה in the midst of the congregation;

15 And he said, “Hearken you, all Judah (Yehudah), and you inhabitants of Jerusalem (Yerushalayim), and you King Yehoshafat! Thus saith יהוה unto you: ‘Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God (Elohim)’s.

16 Tomorrow go you down against them. Behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and you shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Yeruel.

17 You shall not need to fight in this battle; set yourselves, stand you still, and see the salvation of יהוה with you, O Yehudah (Judah) and Yerushalayim! Fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for יהוה will be with you.”

18 And Yehoshafat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Judah (Yehudah) and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) fell before יהוה, worshipping יהוה.

19 And the Levites (Lewiyim), of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise יהוה God of Israel (Elohei Yisrael) with a loud voice on high.

20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went forth, Yehoshafat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah (Yehudah), and you inhabitants of Jerusalem (Yerushalayim): Believe in יהוה your God (Elohim), so shall you be established; believe His prophets, so shall you prosper.”

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto יהוה, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, “Give praise unto יהוה, for His mercy endureth forever.”

22 And when they began to sing and to praise, יהוה set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moav, and Mount Seir, who were come against Judah (Yehudah); and they were smitten.

23 For the children of Ammon and Moav 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.

24 And when Judah (Yehudah) 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.

25 And when Yehoshafat 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.

26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berakhah, for there they blessed יהוה; therefore the name of the same place was called “The Valley of Berakhah (Blessing)” unto this day.

27 Then they returned, every man of Judah (Yehudah) and Jerusalem (Yerushalayim), and Yehoshafat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) with joy; for יהוה had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

28 And they came to Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of יהוה.

29 And the fear of God (Elohim) was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that יהוה fought against the enemies of Yisrael.

30 So the realm of Yehoshafat was quiet, for his God (Elohim) gave him rest round about.

31 And Yehoshafat reigned over Judah (Yehudah); he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem (Yerushalayim). His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

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 יהוה.

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

34 Now the rest of the acts of Yehoshafat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Yehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Yisrael.

35 And after this did Yehoshafat king of Judah (Yehudah) join himself with Achazyah king of Yisrael, who did very wickedly.

36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made the ships in Eziongeber.

37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Yehoshafat, saying, “Because you have joined yourself with Achazyah, יהוה hath broken your works.” And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.