Category: 2 Chronicles

[17:10] The Lord made all the surrounding kingdoms afraid to go to war against King Jehoshaphat.

[17:11] Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat a large amount of silver and other gifts, and some Arabs brought him 7,700 sheep and 7,700 goats.

[17:12] So Jehoshaphat continued to grow more and more powerful. Throughout Judah he built fortifications and cities,

[17:13] where supplies were stored in huge amounts. In Jerusalem he stationed outstanding officers,

[17:14] according to their clans. Adnah was the commander of the troops from the clans of Judah, and he had 300,000 soldiers under him.

[17:15] Second in rank was Jehohanan, with 280,000 soldiers,

[17:16] and third was Amasiah son of Zichri, with 200,000. (Amasiah had volunteered to serve the Lord.)

[17:17] The commander of the troops from the clans of Benjamin was Eliada, an outstanding soldier, in command of 200,000 men armed with shields and bows.

[17:18] His second in command was Jehozabad with 180,000 men, well-equipped for battle.

[17:19] These soldiers served the king in Jerusalem, and in addition he stationed others in the other fortified cities of Judah.

[18:1] When King Jehoshaphat of Judah became rich and famous, he arranged a marriage between a member of his family and the family of King Ahab of Israel.

[18:2] A number of years later Jehoshaphat went to the city of Samaria to visit Ahab. To honor Jehoshaphat and those with him, Ahab had a large number of sheep and cattle slaughtered for a feast. He tried to persuade Jehoshaphat to join him in attacking the city of Ramoth in Gilead.

[18:3] He asked, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth?” Jehoshaphat replied, “I am ready when you are, and so is my army. We will join you.”

[18:4] Then he added, “But first let's consult the Lord.”

[18:5] So Ahab called in the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them, “Should I go and attack Ramoth, or not?” “Attack it,” they answered. “God will give you victory.”

[18:6] But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn't there another prophet through whom we can consult the Lord?”

[18:7] Ahab answered, “There is one more, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad.” “You shouldn't say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.

[18:8] So King Ahab called in a court official and told him to go and get Micaiah at once.

[18:9] The two kings, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on their thrones at the threshing place just outside the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them.

[18:10] One of them, Zedekiah son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said to Ahab, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will fight the Syrians and totally defeat them.’”

[18:11] All the other prophets said the same thing. “March against Ramoth and you will win,” they said. “The Lord will give you victory.”

[18:12] Meanwhile, the official who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, “All the other prophets have prophesied success for the king, and you had better do the same.”

[18:13] But Micaiah answered, “By the living Lord I will say what my God tells me to!”

[18:14] When he appeared before King Ahab, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should King Jehoshaphat and I go and attack Ramoth, or not?” “Attack!” Micaiah answered. “Of course you'll win. The Lord will give you victory.”

[18:15] But Ahab replied, “When you speak to me in the name of the Lord, tell the truth! How many times do I have to tell you that?”

[18:16] Micaiah answered, “I can see the army of Israel scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These men have no leader; let them go home in peace.’”

[18:17] Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I told you that he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad!”

[18:18] Micaiah went on: “Now listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne in heaven, with all his angels standing beside him.

[18:19] The Lord asked, ‘Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and get killed at Ramoth?’ Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else,

[18:20] until a spirit stepped forward, approached the Lord, and said, ‘I will deceive him.’ ‘How?’ the Lord asked.

[18:21] The spirit replied, ‘I will go and make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies.’ The Lord said, ‘Go and deceive him. You will succeed.’”

[18:22] And Micaiah concluded: “This is what has happened. The Lord has made these prophets of yours lie to you. But he himself has decreed that you will meet with disaster!”

[18:23] Then the prophet Zedekiah went up to Micaiah, slapped his face, and asked, “Since when did the Lord's spirit leave me and speak to you?”

[18:24] “You will find out when you go into some back room to hide,” Micaiah replied.

[18:25] Then King Ahab ordered one of his officers, “Arrest Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Prince Joash.

[18:26] Tell them to throw him in prison and to put him on bread and water until I return safely.”

[18:27] “If you return safely,” Micaiah exclaimed, “then the Lord has not spoken through me!” And he added, “Listen, everyone, to what I have said!”

[18:28] Then King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to attack the city of Ramoth in Gilead.

[18:29] Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “As we go into battle, I will disguise myself, but you wear your royal garments.” So the king of Israel went into battle in disguise.

[18:30] The king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders to attack no one else except the king of Israel.

[18:31] So when they saw King Jehoshaphat, they all thought that he was the king of Israel, and they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat gave a shout, and the Lord God rescued him and turned the attack away from him.

[18:32] The chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, so they stopped pursuing him.

[18:33] By chance, however, a Syrian soldier shot an arrow which struck King Ahab between the joints of his armor. “I'm wounded!” he cried out to his chariot driver. “Turn around and pull out of the battle!”

[18:34] While the battle raged on, King Ahab remained propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians. At sunset he died.

[19:1] King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem.

[19:2] A prophet, Jehu son of Hanani, went to meet the king and said to him, “Do you think it is right to help those who are wicked and to take the side of those who hate the Lord? What you have done has brought the Lord's anger on you.

[19:3] But even so, there is some good in you. You have removed all the symbols of the goddess Asherah which people worshiped, and you have tried to follow God's will.”

[19:4] Even though King Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, he traveled regularly among the people, from Beersheba in the south to the edge of the hill country of Ephraim in the north, in order to call the people back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

[19:5] He appointed judges in each of the fortified cities of Judah

[19:6] and instructed them: “Be careful in pronouncing judgment; you are not acting on human authority, but on the authority of the Lord, and he is with you when you pass sentence.

[19:7] Honor the Lord and act carefully, because the Lord our God does not tolerate fraud or partiality or the taking of bribes.”

[19:8] In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed Levites, priests, and some of the leading citizens as judges in cases involving a violation of the Law of the Lord or legal disputes between inhabitants of the city.

[19:9] He gave them the following instructions: “You must perform your duties in reverence for the Lord, faithfully obeying him in everything you do.

[19:10] Whenever your fellow citizens from any of the cities bring before you a case of homicide or any other violation of a law or commandment, you must instruct them carefully how to conduct themselves during the trial, so that they do not become guilty of sinning against the Lord. Unless you do, you and your fellow citizens will feel the force of the Lord's anger. But if you do your duty, you will not be guilty.

[19:11] Amariah the High Priest will have final authority in all religious cases, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, governor of Judah, will have final authority in all civil cases. The Levites have the responsibility of seeing that the decisions of the courts are carried out. Be courageous and carry out these instructions, and may the Lord be on the side of the right!”

[20:1] Some time later the armies of Moab and Ammon, together with their allies, the Meunites, invaded Judah.

[20:2] Some messengers came and announced to King Jehoshaphat: “A large army from Edom has come from the other side of the Dead Sea to attack you. They have already captured Hazazon Tamar.” (This is another name for Engedi.)

[20:3] Jehoshaphat was frightened and prayed to the Lord for guidance. Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout the country.

[20:4] From every city of Judah people hurried to Jerusalem to ask the Lord for guidance,

[20:5] and they and the people of Jerusalem gathered in the new courtyard of the Temple. King Jehoshaphat went and stood before them

[20:6] and prayed aloud, “O Lord God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty, and no one can oppose you.

[20:7] You are our God. When your people Israel moved into this land, you drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, to be theirs forever.

[20:8] They have lived here and have built a temple to honor you, knowing

[20:9] that if any disaster struck them to punish them—a war, an epidemic, or a famine—then they could come and stand in front of this Temple where you are worshiped. They could pray to you in their trouble, and you would hear them and rescue them.

[20:10] “Now the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom have attacked us. When our ancestors came out of Egypt, you did not allow them to enter those lands, so our ancestors went around them and did not destroy them.

[20:11] This is how they repay us—they come to drive us out of the land that you gave us.

[20:12] You are our God! Punish them, for we are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help.”

[20:13] All the men of Judah, with their wives and children, were standing there at the Temple.

[20:14] The spirit of the Lord came upon a Levite who was present in the crowd. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah; he was a member of the clan of Asaph and was descended from Asaph through Mattaniah, Jeiel, and Benaiah.

[20:15] Jahaziel said, “Your Majesty and all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord says that you must not be discouraged or be afraid to face this large army. The battle depends on God, not on you.

[20:16] Attack them tomorrow as they come up the pass at Ziz. You will meet them at the end of the valley that leads to the wild country near Jeruel.

[20:17] You will not have to fight this battle. Just take up your positions and wait; you will see the Lord give you victory. People of Judah and Jerusalem, do not hesitate or be afraid. Go out to battle, and the Lord will be with you!”

[20:18] Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low, with his face touching the ground, and all the people bowed with him and worshiped the Lord.

[20:19] The members of the Levite clans of Kohath and Korah stood up and with a loud shout praised the Lord, the God of Israel.

[20:20] Early the next morning the people went out to the wild country near Tekoa. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat addressed them with these words: “People of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in the Lord your God, and you will stand your ground. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed.”

[20:21] After consulting with the people, the king ordered some musicians to put on the robes they wore on sacred occasions and to march ahead of the army, singing: “Praise the Lord! His love is eternal!”

[20:22] When they began to sing, the Lord threw the invading armies into a panic.

[20:23] The Ammonites and the Moabites attacked the Edomite army and completely destroyed it, and then they turned on each other in savage fighting.

[20:24] When the Judean army reached a tower that was in the desert, they looked toward the enemy and saw that they were all lying on the ground dead. Not one had escaped.

[20:25] Jehoshaphat and his troops moved in to take the loot, and they found many cattle, supplies, clothing, and other valuable objects. They spent three days gathering the loot, but there was so much that they could not take everything.

[20:26] On the fourth day they assembled in Beracah Valley and praised the Lord for all he had done. That is why the valley is called “Beracah.”

[20:27] Jehoshaphat led his troops back to Jerusalem in triumph, because the Lord had defeated their enemies.

[20:28] When they reached the city, they marched to the Temple to the music of harps and trumpets.

[20:29] Every nation that heard how the Lord had defeated Israel's enemies was terrified,

[20:30] so Jehoshaphat ruled in peace, and God gave him security on every side.

[21:2] Jehoram son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah had six brothers: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah.

[21:3] Their father gave them large amounts of gold, silver, and other valuable possessions, and placed each one in charge of one of the fortified cities of Judah. But because Jehoram was the oldest, Jehoshaphat made him his successor.

[21:4] When Jehoram was in firm control of the kingdom, he had all his brothers killed, and also some Israelite officials.

[21:5] Jehoram became king at the age of thirty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years.

[21:6] He followed the wicked example of King Ahab and the other kings of Israel, because he had married one of Ahab's daughters. He sinned against the Lord,

[21:7] but the Lord was not willing to destroy the dynasty of David, because he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would always continue to rule.

[21:8] During Jehoram's reign Edom revolted against Judah and became an independent kingdom.

[21:9] So Jehoram and his officers set out with chariots and invaded Edom. There the Edomite army surrounded them, but during the night they managed to break out and escape.

[21:10] Edom has been independent of Judah ever since. During this same period the city of Libnah also revolted, because Jehoram had abandoned the Lord, the God of his ancestors.

[21:11] He even built pagan places of worship in the Judean highlands and led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to sin against the Lord.

[21:12] The prophet Elijah sent Jehoram a letter, which read as follows: “The Lord, the God of your ancestor David, condemns you, because you did not follow the example of your father, King Jehoshaphat, or that of your grandfather, King Asa.

[21:13] Instead, you have followed the example of the kings of Israel and have led the people of Judah and Jerusalem into being unfaithful to God, just as Ahab and his successors led Israel into unfaithfulness. You even murdered your brothers, who were better men than you are.

[21:14] As a result, the Lord will severely punish your people, your children, and your wives, and will destroy your possessions.

[21:15] You yourself will suffer a painful intestinal disease that will grow worse day by day.”

[21:16] Some Philistines and Arabs lived near where some Ethiopians had settled along the coast. The Lord caused them to go to war against Jehoram.

[21:17] They invaded Judah, looted the royal palace, and carried off as prisoners all the king's wives and sons except Ahaziah, his youngest son.

[21:18] Then after all this, the Lord brought on the king a painful disease of the intestines.

[21:19] For almost two years it grew steadily worse until finally the king died in agony. His subjects did not light a bonfire in mourning for him as had been done for his ancestors.

[21:20] Jehoram had become king at the age of thirty-two and had ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. Nobody was sorry when he died. They buried him in David's City, but not in the royal tombs.

[22:1] Some Arabs had led a raid and killed all of King Jehoram's sons except Ahaziah, the youngest. So now the people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah king as his father's successor.

[22:4] He sinned against the Lord, because after his father's death other members of King Ahab's family became his advisers, and they led to his downfall.

[22:5] Following their advice, he joined King Joram of Israel in a war against King Hazael of Syria. The armies clashed at Ramoth in Gilead, and Joram was wounded in battle.

[22:6] He returned to the city of Jezreel to recover from his wounds, and Ahaziah went there to visit him.

[22:7] God used this visit to Joram to bring about Ahaziah's downfall. While Ahaziah was there, he and Joram were confronted by a man named Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had chosen to destroy the dynasty of Ahab.

[22:8] As Jehu was carrying out God's sentence on the dynasty, he came across a group made up of Judean leaders and of Ahaziah's nephews that had accompanied Ahaziah on his visit. Jehu killed them all.

[22:9] A search was made for Ahaziah, and he was found hiding in Samaria. They took him to Jehu and put him to death. But they did bury his body out of respect for his grandfather King Jehoshaphat, who had done all he could to serve the Lord. No member of Ahaziah's family was left who could rule the kingdom.

[22:10] As soon as King Ahaziah's mother Athaliah learned of her son's murder, she gave orders for all the members of the royal family of Judah to be killed.

[22:11] Ahaziah had a half sister, Jehosheba, who was married to a priest named Jehoiada. She secretly rescued one of Ahaziah's sons, Joash, took him away from the other princes who were about to be murdered and hid him and a nurse in a bedroom at the Temple. By keeping him hidden, she saved him from death at the hands of Athaliah.

[22:12] For six years he remained there in hiding, while Athaliah ruled as queen.