Chronicles of the Past Dynasties_Chapter 20

Afterwards, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Meunites came together to attack Jehoshaphat.

Someone came to report to Jehoshaphat, saying, A great army is attacking you from the land of Aram (Edom), and now they are in Hazizontamar, which is Engedi.

Jehoshaphat was afraid and decided to seek the Lord, declaring a fast throughout all Judah.

So Judah gathered together and sought the help of the Lord. All the cities of Judah have come out to seek the Lord.

Jehoshaphat stood in front of the new courtyard of the temple of the Lord in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem,

Say, O Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God of heaven? Aren’t you the ruler of all nations and nations? In your hands, there is great power and strength, and no one can resist you.

O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people the Israelites and give it to your friend Abraham’s descendants as an inheritance forever?

They dwell in this land and build a sanctuary for your name, saying,

If any calamity comes upon us, whether it be the sword or the plague or famine, we will stand in front of this temple and cry out to you in times of emergency, and you will hear and save us, for your name is in this temple.

When the Israelites left the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir. So the Israelites left them and did not destroy them.

See, how they retaliate against us, coming to drive us out of your land, which you have given us as an inheritance.

Our God, will you not punish them? Because we are unable to resist the army that is attacking us, and we do not know how to do it, our eyes are only looking up to you.

The people of Judah stood before the Lord, along with their infants, wives, and children.

At that time, the Spirit of the Lord came to Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the great grandson of Jeli, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, in the assembly.

He said, Listen to all the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged by this great army. Because victory and defeat do not care about you, but about God.

Tomorrow you will go down to meet the enemy. They will come up from the slope of Ziz, and you will find them at the mouth of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeroel.

O Judah and Jerusalem, do not fight this time; stand in formation and see the Lord deliver salvation to you. Don’t be afraid, nor panic. Go out tomorrow to meet the enemy, for the Lord is with you.

Jehoshaphat fell face down to the ground, and all the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, bowing before him.

The Levites of the Kohathites and Korahites rose up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a loud voice.

The next morning, everyone got up and went to the wilderness of Tikoa. When he went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, believe in the Lord your God, and you will stand firm.”. Believe in his prophets and they will prosper.

After consulting with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed singers to praise the Lord, putting on holy robes and walking before the army to praise the Lord, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for his mercy endures forever.

When everyone was singing and praising, the Lord sent ambushes to kill the Ammonites, Moabites, and Mount Seir who came to attack Judah, and they were defeated.

Because the children of Ammon and Moab rose up and killed the people who were living on Mount Seir, completely destroying them. After annihilating all the people who lived on Mount Seir, they also fought against each other.

The Jews came to the watchtower in the wilderness and looked at the large army, and saw corpses lying everywhere, with no one escaping.

Jehoshaphat and his people came to collect the goods of the enemy, and found many treasures and treasures among the corpses. They stripped off a lot of them and could not carry them. Because of a lot, it was collected for three days.

On the fourth day, everyone gathered in the valley of Belacah, where they praised the Lord. Therefore, that place is called the Valley of Biracah, to this day.

The Jews and the people of Jerusalem returned to Jerusalem with joy, and Jehoshaphat led them. Because the Lord made them overcome their enemies, they rejoiced and rejoiced.

They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets, and entered the temple of the Lord.

When the nations heard that the Lord had defeated the enemies of Israel, they were greatly afraid.

In this way, the kingdom of Jehoshaphat will enjoy peace, because God has given him peace on all sides.

Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah at the age of thirty-five years when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name is Azubah, the daughter of Shilih.

Jehoshaphat did as his father Asa did, not turning to the right or left, and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

However, the mounds have not yet been abolished, and the people have not set their minds on returning to the gods of their ancestors.

The other events of Jehoshaphat, from beginning to end, are written in the book of Jehu son of Hanani, and are also recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.

Afterwards, King Jehoshaphat of Judah made peace with King Ahaziah of Israel. Ahaziah has done too much evil.

The two kings teamed up to build ships to go to Tashi, so they built ships at Ezion Gabel.

At that time, Eliezer son of Dodawah, a Mareshah, prophesied to Jehoshaphat, saying, ‘Because you have made peace with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.’. Later on, the ship was indeed damaged and could not go towards him.