When Attackers Approached Jehoshaphat & All Judah Returned to the Lord |
2 Chronicles 20:1-37 2 Chronicles in [Smaller Chunks] |
It [happened] after this, that also the children [people] of Moab & Ammon, with others [in addition to] the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. [When] Jehoshaphat was told, A [large] multitude [has come] against you, [from] beyond the sea on this side [of] Syria. |
[Look, they’re from] Hazazon Tamar, which is Engedi. And Jehoshaphat [was afraid & prepared] himself to seek the Lord & proclaimed a fast throughout all [of] Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask [for the Lord’s] help. They came to seek the Lord, even out of all the cities of Judah. |
And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah & Jerusalem, in the [Lords] house, [in front of] the new [courtyard] & said, O Lord God of our [forefathers], aren’t You, God, in heaven? |
[Don’t] You rule over all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in Your hand, isn’t there power & might, so that none [are] able to [stand against] You? Aren’t You our God, Who [drove] out the inhabitants of this land [in front of] Your people, Israel & gave it to [the descendants] of Abraham, Your friend forever? |
And they have [lived in it] & have built You a sanctuary [in there] for Your Name, saying, When evil comes upon us [like:] the sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine & if we stand [in front of] this house, in Your presence, (for Your Name is in this house,) & cry [out] to You in our affliction, then You will hear & help [us.] |
And now [see,] the children [people] of Ammon, Moab & Mount Seir, whom You wouldn’t let Israel invade, when [the Israelites] came out of the land of Egypt, but the [Israelites] turned from them & [didn’t] destroy them. |
I say, [Look,] how they reward us. [They’ve] come to cast us out of Your possession, which You have given us to inherit. O our God, won’t You judge them? For we have no [strength] against this [large] company that comes against us. Neither do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You. |
And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives & their children. Then, in the midst of the congregation, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, [Zechariah’s] son. [Zechariah was] the son of Benaiah. [Beniah was] the son of Jeiel. [Jeiel was] the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the [descendants] of Asaph. |
And [Jahaziel] said, [Listen,] all you inhabitants of Judah & Jerusalem & king Jehoshaphat. The Lord [says this] to you, [Don’t] be afraid, nor [worried, because] of this [large] multitude; for the battle isn’t yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, go down against them. |
[Look,] they [will] come up the Cliff of Ziz & you shall find them at the end of the brook, [in front of] the Wilderness of Jeruel. You shall not need to fight in this battle. [Position] yourselves & stand still & see the Salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah & Jerusalem. [Don’t be fearful, nor worried.] |
Tomorrow, go out against them: for the Lord will be with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head [facing] the ground & all Judah & the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord & [worshiped] the Lord. |
And the Levites, of the children [people] of the Kohathites, the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high. And they [rose] early in the morning & went [forward] into the Wilderness of Tekoa. |
And as they went [forward,] Jehoshaphat stood & said, Hear me, O Judah & inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so you shall be established. Believe His prophets, so you shall prosper. |
And when [Jehoshaphat] had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to the Lord, [so they could] praise the beauty of [God’s] holiness, [while] they went out, in front of] the army & [said,] Praise the Lord; for His mercy endures forever. |
And when they began to sing & to praise, the Lord set [ambushes] against the children [people] of Ammon, Moab & Mount Seir, [who had] come against Judah & they were [defeated.] |
For the [people] of Ammon & Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, [totally slaying & destroying] them. And when they had [finished killing] the inhabitants of [Mount] Seir, they [destroyed each other.] |
And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked [at] the multitude & [saw] they were [all] dead bodies, fallen to the [ground] & none escaped. |
When Jehoshaphat & his people came to take away the [plunder from] them, they found among the dead bodies, an abundance of riches & precious jewels, which they [took] for themselves, more than they could carry away. |
[There] was so much [plunder,] they were [there] 3 days gathering the [plunder.] And on the 4th day, they assembled themselves in the Valley of Berachah, [a.k.a. Blessing;] for they blessed the Lord [God] there. [That’s why] the name of the same place was called, The Valley of Berachah, to this day. |
Jehoshaphat [was in the front of] them, [when] every man of Judah & Jerusalem returned again to Jerusalem with joy. For the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. |
[Nehemiah 12:43 Also, that day, they offered great sacrifices & rejoiced with great joy. The wives & also the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was even heard [far away.] |
And they came to Jerusalem with [lyres,] harps & trumpets to the [Lord’s] house. And the fear [respect] of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they heard that the Lord [God had] fought against the enemies of Israel. |
So, [Jehoshaphat’s kingdom] was quiet: for his God gave him [peace around him.] And Jehoshaphat [ruled] over Judah. He was 35 years old when he began to [rule] & he [ruled] 25 years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. |
And [Jehoshaphat] walked in the [paths] of his father, Asa & [didn’t] depart from doing [what] was right in the sight of the Lord. [Still] the high places weren’t taken away yet, for the people hadn’t prepared their hearts to the God of their [forefathers.] |
[1 Kings 22:43 And [Jehoshaphat followed] in all the ways of Asa, his father & he [didn’t] turn aside from doing [what] was right in the eyes of the Lord. [However,] the high places weren’t taken away, [because] the people [still] offered & burnt incense in the high places.] |
Now, the rest of [Jehoshaphat’s actions,] 1st & last, written in the book of Jehu, [Hanani’s] son, who is mentioned in the Book of [the] Kings of Israel. And after this, Jehoshaphat, [Judah’s] king, [joined] with Ahaziah, [Israel’s] king, who did very wickedly. |
And [Jehoshaphat] joined himself with [Ahaziah] to make ships go to Tarshish & they made ships in Ezion Gaber, [a.k.a. Ezion Geber.] |
[1 Kings 10:22 For the king had a navy at sea of Tharshish, [a.k.a. Tarshish] with the navy of Hiram, [that] came once [every] 3 years & the navy of [Tarshish] came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes & peacocks.] |
Then, Eliezer, [Dodavah’s] son, [from] Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord will [destroy what you have made] & the ships were broken, [so] that they weren’t able to go to Tarshish. |