2 Chronicles 20

It 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.

After this event, the people of Moab and Ammon, along with others, united to wage war against Jehoshaphat.

Then 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 Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.

Some people rushed to Jehoshaphat, breathless and anxious. "A massive army is approaching from across the sea, near Syria," they warned. "They're now in Hazazontamar, or Engedi as we know it."

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

Overwhelmed with fear, Jehoshaphat turned to God for guidance. He declared a fast across all of Judah, seeking solace in prayer.

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

United in their need, the people of Judah turned to the Lord for help. From every city, they came, their hearts yearning for God's guidance.

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

Jehoshaphat, filled with reverence, stood among the people of Judah and Jerusalem, in God's sacred house, facing the fresh court.

And 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?

Isn't it true, O Lord, the God of our ancestors, that you are the divine power in heaven? Don't you reign over all nations? Isn't your hand filled with strength and authority, making you unstoppable?

Art 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?

Aren't you our God who cleared this land for us, the people of Israel, and gave it forever to the descendants of Abraham, your friend?

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

They made their home there, constructing a sacred place in your honor, expressing,

If, 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.

When hardship strikes us, like war, judgment, disease, or hunger, we stand in this sacred place, in your presence, for you are here. We call out to you in our suffering, and you will listen and provide aid.

And 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;

Now, remember, the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom you didn't allow Israel to attack when they left Egypt. Yet, Israel turned away, showing mercy and not destroying them.

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

Look, see how they repay us, trying to take away the land you gifted us.

O 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.

God, won't you judge them? We're powerless against this overwhelming force attacking us; we're lost and don't know what to do. But we're looking to you for help.

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

Every person from Judah, including their children and wives, stood humbly in the presence of the LORD.

Then 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;

In the heart of the gathering, the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite descended from Asaph.

And 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.

He spoke, "Listen, all of Judah, Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat, this is God's message to you: Don't be scared or upset because of this huge crowd. Remember, this fight isn't yours, it's God's."

To 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.

Tomorrow, bravely face them. They'll be climbing up Ziz's cliff. You'll spot them near the brook's end, just before the barren lands of Jeruel.

Ye 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.

Don't worry, there's no need for you to fight this battle. Just stand firm, watch and experience God's saving power with you, people of Judah and Jerusalem. Don't let fear or confusion take over. Tomorrow, face them bravely, for God will be by your side.

And 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.

Jehoshaphat humbly lowered his head to the earth, his face touching the soil. Every person in Judah and Jerusalem followed suit, surrendering themselves in deep reverence to the LORD.

And 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.

The Levites, descendants of Kohath and Korah, passionately stood to honor the Lord God of Israel, their voices echoing with heartfelt praise.

And 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.

They woke up at dawn, journeying into Tekoa's barren lands. Jehoshaphat, standing tall, called out, "Listen, people of Judah and Jerusalem! Trust in God, and you'll stand firm. Believe in His prophets, and you'll flourish."

And 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.

After discussing with the people, he assigned singers to honor God. Their task was to appreciate the beauty of sacredness, leading the army with their voices, and to continuously express, "Praise God, for His kindness is everlasting."

And 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.

As they lifted their voices in song and praise, God intervened, setting traps for the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who threatened Judah. They were swiftly defeated.

For 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.

The children of Ammon and Moab turned against the people of Mount Seir, determined to wipe them out completely. After they had finished off the people of Seir, they turned on each other in a destructive frenzy.

And 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.

As Judah approached the lonely watchtower in the desolate wilderness, they cast their eyes upon the crowd. To their horror, they saw only lifeless bodies strewn across the ground, with not a single soul spared.

And 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.

When Jehoshaphat and his people arrived to claim their victory, they were overwhelmed by the wealth they found. Among the fallen, they discovered a bounty of riches and precious gems. They took as much as they could carry, and even then, it took them three days to collect it all, such was the magnitude of their spoils.

And 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.

On the fourth day, they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, pouring out their hearts in gratitude to God. Hence, the place was forever known as the Valley of Blessing.

Then 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.

All the men of Judah and Jerusalem, led by Jehoshaphat, joyfully returned to Jerusalem. They were filled with happiness because the LORD had given them victory over their enemies.

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

They joyfully arrived in Jerusalem, their hearts filled with devotion, carrying psalteries, harps, and trumpets, ready to worship in the Lord's house.

And 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.

All the kingdoms trembled with awe, realizing that God Himself was battling Israel's foes.

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

Jehoshaphat's kingdom was peaceful, for God had blessed him with tranquility on all sides.

And 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.

Jehoshaphat, at the age of 35, became the ruler of Judah. He held the throne in Jerusalem for a quarter of a century. His mother, Azubah, was the daughter of Shilhi.

And 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.

He followed his father Asa's path, never straying, always doing what was right in God's eyes.

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

Despite this, the sacred sites remained untouched, as the people were not yet emotionally ready to fully commit to the God of their ancestors.

Now 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.

The complete life story of Jehoshaphat, from beginning to end, can be found in Jehu son of Hanani's book, which is also referenced in the book of the kings of Israel.

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

Following this, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, allied himself with Ahaziah, the king of Israel, who was known for his extreme wickedness.

And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongaber.

He united with him, filled with determination and excitement, to craft vessels destined for Tarshish. Together, they built these majestic ships in Eziongaber, their hearts swelling with pride.

Then 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.

Eliezer, son of Dodavah from Mareshah, passionately warned Jehoshaphat. He said, "Because you allied with Ahaziah, God has shattered your efforts." The ships were destroyed, unable to sail to Tarshish.