Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

20 After this ⁱthe Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,¹ came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,² from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in ^jHazazon-tamar” (that is, ^kEngedi). 3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face ^lto seek the Lord, and ^mproclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not ⁿGod in heaven? You ^orule over all the kingdoms of the nations. ^pIn your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7 Did you not, our God, ^qdrive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of ^rAbraham your friend? 8 And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9 ^s‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,³ or pestilence, or famine, ^twe will stand before this house and before you—^ufor your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ 10 And now behold, the men of ^vAmmon and Moab and ^wMount Seir, whom ^xyou would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, ^yand whom they avoided and did not destroy— 11 behold, they reward us ^zby coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will you not ^aexecute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but ^bour eyes are on you.”

13 Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14 And ^cthe Spirit of the Lord came⁴ upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ^d‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, ^efor the battle is not yours but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of ^fthe valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 ^gYou will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ ^dDo not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, ^hand the Lord will be with you.”

18 Then Jehoshaphat ⁱbowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 And the Levites, of the ^jKohathites and the ^kKorahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 And they rose early in the morning and went out into ^lthe wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! ^mBelieve in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him ⁿin holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

22 And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ^pan ambush against the men of ^qAmmon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 23 For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, ^rthey all helped to destroy one another.

The Lord Delivers Judah

24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there⁵ were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,⁶ for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, ^sfor the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 ^tAnd the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, ^ufor his God gave him rest all around.

31 ^vThus Jehoshaphat 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 the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. 33 ^wThe high places, however, were not taken away; ^xthe people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of ^yJehu the son of Hanani, ^zwhich are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

35 ^aAfter this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. 36 He joined him in building ships to go to ^bTarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, ^c“Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.

Jehoram Reigns in Judah

21 ^dJehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 2 He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of ^eIsrael.¹ 3 Their father gave them great gifts of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with ^ffortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn. 4 When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of ^eIsrael. 5 ^gJehoram was ^hthirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6 ⁱAnd he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for ^jthe daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 7 Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give ^ka lamp to him and to his sons forever.

8 In his days Edom revolted from the ^lrule of Judah and set up a king of their own. 9 Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all his chariots, and he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. 10 So Edom revolted from ^mthe rule of Judah to this day. At that time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers.

11 Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem ⁿinto whoredom and made Judah go astray. 12 And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, ^o‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or ^pin the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 ⁱbut have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem ⁿinto whoredom, ^qas the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you ^rhave killed your brothers, of your father’s house, who were better than you, 14 behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, 15 and you yourself will have a severe sickness ^swith a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.’”

16 ^tAnd the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger² of the Philistines and of ^uthe Arabians who are near the Ethiopians. 17 And they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king’s house, and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except ^vJehoahaz, his youngest son.

18 And after all this the Lord struck him ^win his bowels with an incurable disease. 19 In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, ^xlike the fires made for his fathers. 20 ^yHe was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed ^zwith no one’s regret. ^aThey buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

22 ^bAnd the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men that came with ^cthe Arabians to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. 2 Ahaziah was twenty-two¹ years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, ^dthe granddaughter of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. 4 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing. 5 He even followed their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. And the Syrians wounded Joram, 6 and he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was wounded.

7 But it was ordained by² God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when he came there, ^ehe went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu the son of Nimshi, ^fwhom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. 8 ^gAnd when Jehu was ^hexecuting judgment on the house of Ahab, he met the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers, who attended Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9 ⁱHe searched for Ahaziah, and he was captured while hiding in Samaria, and he was brought to Jehu and put to death. ^jThey buried him, for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, ^kwho sought the Lord with all his heart.” And the house of Ahaziah had no one able to rule the kingdom.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

10 ^lNow when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath,³ the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were about to be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him⁴ from Athaliah, so that she did not put him to death. 12 And he remained with them six years, hidden in the house of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Made King

23 ^mBut in the seventh year Jehoiada took courage and entered into a covenant with the commanders of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri. 2 And they went about through ⁿJudah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers’ houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada¹ said to them, “Behold, the king’s son! Let him reign, ^oas the Lord spoke concerning the sons of David. 4 This is the thing that you shall do: ^pof you priests and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath, one third shall be gatekeepers, 5 and one third shall be at the king’s house and one third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. 6 Let no one enter the house of the Lord except the priests ^qand ministering Levites. They may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the Lord. 7 The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever enters the house shall be put to death. Be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men, who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss ^rthe divisions. 9 And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of God. 10 And he set all the people as a guard for the king, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house. 11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him ^sthe testimony. And they proclaimed him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they said, ^t“Long live the king.”

Athaliah Executed

12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 13 And when she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments leading in the celebration. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 14 Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains who were set over the army, saying to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and anyone who follows her is to be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Do not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15 So they laid hands on her,² and she went into the entrance of ^uthe horse gate of the king’s house, and they put her to death there.

Jehoiada’s Reforms

16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king that they should be the Lord’s people. 17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, ^vand they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 And Jehoiada posted watchmen for the house of the Lord under the direction of ^wthe Levitical priests and the Levites ^xwhom David had organized to be in charge of the house of the Lord, to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, ^yas it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, ^zaccording to the order of David. 19 He stationed ^athe gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the Lord so that no one should enter who was in any way unclean. 20 And he took the captains, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching ^bthrough the upper gate to the king’s house. And they set the king on the royal throne. 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword.

Joash Repairs the Temple

24 ^cJoash¹ was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 ^dAnd Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada got for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters.

4 After this Joash ^edecided to ^frestore the house of the Lord. 5 And he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of ^gJudah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you act quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem ^hthe tax levied by Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the congregation of Israel for ⁱthe tent of testimony?” 7 For ^jthe sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also used all ^kthe dedicated things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.

8 So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside the gate of the house of the Lord. 9 And ^lproclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring in for the Lord ^hthe tax that Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness. 10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until they had finished.² 11 And whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the Levites, when they saw that there was much money in it, the king’s secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and take it and return it to its place. Thus they did day after day, and collected money in abundance. 12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who had charge of the work of the house of the Lord, and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the Lord. 13 So those who were engaged in the work labored, and the repairing went forward in their hands, and they restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened it. 14 And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, and with it ^mwere made utensils for the house of the Lord, both for the service and for the burnt offerings, and dishes for incense and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord regularly all the days of Jehoiada.

15 But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. He was 130 years old at his death. 16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.

17 Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. 18 And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served ^othe Asherim and the idols. And ^pwrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19 ^qYet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. ^rThese testified against them, but they would not pay attention.