2 Chronicles 20

1After this, the sons of Moab, the sons of Ammon, and some of the Ammonites with them came against Jehoshaphat for battle.

2Some came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea from Aram; see, they are in Hazezon-tamar, which is En-gedi."

3Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek Yahweh, and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

4Judah gathered to seek Yahweh, even coming from all the cities of Judah to seek Yahweh.

5Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in Yahweh's house, before the new court.

6And he said, "Yahweh, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven, sovereign over all the kingdoms of the nations, with power and might in your hand so no one can stand against you?"

7Are you not our God, who dispossessed this land's inhabitants before your people Israel and gave it to the descendants of Abraham your friend forever?

8They settled in it and built you a sanctuary there for your name, saying.

9If calamity comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house, and cry to you from our distress, and you will hear and save.

10Now, behold, the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom you did not permit Israel to enter when they came out from the land of Egypt, for they turned aside from them and did not annihilate them.

11See how they repay us by coming to drive us out of your inheritance, which you gave us to possess.

12Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no strength to face this vast multitude advancing against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

13All Judah stood before Yahweh, even their little ones, their wives, and their sons.

14Then the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah the Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.

15He said, "Pay attention, all Judah and you who dwell in Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. Thus Yahweh says to you: Do not fear or be dismayed before this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's."

16Tomorrow, go down against them. Look, they are coming up the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

17You need not fight in this. Array yourselves, stand firm, and witness Yahweh's deliverance among you, Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not, nor be terrified. Tomorrow advance to face them, for Yahweh is with you.

18Jehoshaphat bowed his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before Yahweh to worship Yahweh.

19The Levites from the sons of the Kohathites and from the sons of the Korahites stood up to praise Yahweh, God of Israel, with a loud voice on high.

20They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa, and as they set out Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and you who dwell in Jerusalem: trust Yahweh your God and you will stand firm, trust his prophets and you will succeed."

21After consulting with the people, he stationed singers to Yahweh, praisers of the splendor of holiness, as they marched out before the army, saying, "Give thanks to Yahweh, for his steadfast love endures forever."

22As they began shouting for joy and praising, Yahweh set ambushers against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who were coming against Judah, and they were struck down.

23The Ammonites and Moabites took their stand against Mount Seir's inhabitants to devote them to destruction and annihilate them; when they had finished off Seir's inhabitants, every man aided his neighbor to ruin.

24Judah came to the watchtower toward the wilderness, and they turned toward the multitude, and behold them—corpses fallen to the earth, with no escape.

25Jehoshaphat and his people came to plunder their spoil and found among them an abundance of riches, dead bodies, and desirable articles, which they took for themselves more than they could carry; they were three days gathering the spoil, because it was so much.

26On the fourth day they gathered in Berachah Valley, for there they blessed Yahweh; therefore they named that place Berachah Valley to this day.

27All the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat at their head and with joy, because Yahweh had made them rejoice over their enemies.

28They came to Jerusalem with psalteries, harps, and trumpets to the house of Yahweh.

29Dread of God fell on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that Yahweh fought against the enemies of Israel.

30Jehoshaphat's kingdom was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

31Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah, Shilhi's daughter.

32He followed his father Asa's way and did not turn from it, doing what was right in Yahweh's eyes.

33However, the high places were not removed, nor had the people yet directed their hearts to the God of their fathers.

34The rest of Jehoshaphat's acts, first and last, stand written in the record of Jehu son of Hanani, which was taken up into the book of Israel's kings.

35Afterward Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, allied himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who acted wickedly.

36He allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.

37Eliezer son of Dodavah from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has broken your works." The ships broke, so they could not go to Tarshish.