Chapter 17
Zeal of Jehoshaphat for the Law. 1 Asa was succeeded as king by his son Jehoshaphat, and immediately thereafter he set out to strengthen his position against Israel. 2 He stationed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and he placed garrisons throughout Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which his father Asa had captured.
3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat[a] because he had followed the example of his father from his earliest years and did not consult the Baals. 4 Rather, he sought the God of his father, observing his commandments, and refused to follow the practices of Israel. 5 As a result of this, the Lord made secure Jehoshaphat’s control of the kingdom. All Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, and his wealth and glory were exceedingly great. 6 He took enormous pride in following the ways of the Lord, and he ordered the removal of the high places and the sacred poles from Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his most learned officials—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah. 8 [b]With them he also sent the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, and Tobijah. Accompanying those Levites were the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 They taught in Judah, having with them the book of the law of the Lord. They traveled through all the cities of Judah, instructing the people.
10 The Power of Jehoshaphat. The fear of the Lord seized all the kingdoms of the countries surrounding Judah, and as a result, they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, as well as silver as a tribute, while the Arabs also brought him a flock of seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats.
12 Jehoshaphat grew steadily more powerful. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. 13 He also supervised great works in the cities of Judah, and he stationed soldiers, valiant warriors, in Jerusalem. 14 The soldiers were classified by ancestral houses. Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah was the highest-ranking commander, with three hundred thousand mighty warriors. 15 Next in line under him was Jehohanan the commander, with two hundred and eighty thousand mighty warriors, 16 and next to him was Amasiah, the son of Zichri, who had volunteered for the service of the Lord, with two hundred thousand mighty warriors.
17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty warrior with two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield, 18 and next in line to him was Jehozabad with one hundred and eighty thousand men equipped for war. 19 These were the men in the service of the king, apart from those whom the king had stationed in fortified cities throughout all Judah.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 17:3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat: the Chronicler gives special mention to this king and to his successors, Hezekiah and Josiah.
- 2 Chronicles 17:8 Jehoshaphat was disturbed by the people’s lack of knowledge about God, and he made it a priority to send learned men throughout Judah to educate them in the ways of the Lord.