2 Chronicles 20 - New Catholic Bible (NCB)

Chapter 20

War against Edom. ¹ A short time afterward, the Moabites and the Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites,^[a] came to engage Jehoshaphat in battle. ² The following communiqué was sent to Jehoshaphat: “A great multitude is coming forth against you from Edom, from beyond the sea.^[b] They are already at Hazazon-tamar, that is, En-gedi.” ³ Jehoshaphat was alarmed, and he hastened to seek the guidance of the Lord, while proclaiming a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ The people of Judah assembled, to seek help from the Lord, as they came from all the towns of Judah to consult the Lord.

Prayer of Jehoshaphat. ⁵ Jehoshaphat stood up 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 the God in heaven, and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In your hands are power and might, and there is no one who can withstand you. ⁷ Was it not you, our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land for your people Israel and gave it forever to the descendants of Abraham? ⁸ They have lived in it and have built you a sanctuary there to honor your name, saying: ⁹ ‘Should any disaster befall us, whether the sword of judgment or war or blood or pestilence or famine, we shall stand before this temple that bears your name and call out to you in our distress, and you will hear our cries and save us.’

¹⁰ “But now, behold the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the people of Mount Seir, whom you would not permit the Israelites to invade when they came from the land of Egypt and whom they avoided and made no attempt to destroy them. ¹¹ See how these people repay us by coming forth to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. ¹² O God will you not pass judgment against them? For we are powerless against this vast horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are turned toward you.”

¹³ Prophecy of Victory. All the men of Judah were standing before the Lord, with their infants, their wives, and their children. ¹⁴ Then the Spirit of the Lord came 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 Jahaziel said: “Listen attentively, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not fear or lose heart at the sight of this vast horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. ¹⁶ March down against them tomorrow. They will be coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will encounter them at the end of the gorge near the Desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will have no need to fight in this battle. Take your position, stand firm, and behold the victory of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed. Go forth against them tomorrow, for the Lord will be with you.’ ”

¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat knelt down with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord to worship him. ¹⁹ After that, the Levites from among the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and sang the praises of the Lord, the God of Israel, with a powerful voice.

²⁰ Overcoming the Invaders. Early the next morning they rose and hastened to set out for the wilderness of Tekoa. As they departed, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem. Hold firmly to your faith in the Lord, your God, and you will be secure. Believe in his prophets and you will be successful.”

²¹ After conferring with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed some to sing to the Lord and praise the splendor of his holiness as they marched forth at the head of the army:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his love endures forever.”

²² At the moment they began their hymn of praise, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the people from Mount Seir who were invading Judah. As a result, they were routed. ²³ For the Ammonites and the Moabites turned against the people of Mount Seir and completely destroyed them. Then, when they had finished off the inhabitants of Mount Seir, they proceeded to destroy each other.

²⁴ When the warriors of Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness and looked toward the multitude, what they beheld were nothing but corpses lying on the ground. No one had escaped. ²⁵ Then, when Jehoshaphat and his men came to collect the booty, they found an immense number of livestock as well as personal property, clothing, and precious articles which they took for themselves until they were unable to carry any more. They spent three days gathering the booty because of its abundance.

²⁶ On the fourth day they all assembled, in the Valley of Berakah,^[c] the name that it bears to this day, because it was there that they blessed the Lord. ²⁷ Then all the people of Judah and Jerusalem returned to Jerusalem with joy, since the Lord had given them reason to rejoice over their triumph against their enemies.

²⁸ They entered Jerusalem to the sound of lyres, harps, and trumpets and went into the house of the Lord. ²⁹ The fear of God fell upon all the kingdoms of the neighboring countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. ³⁰ And thereafter Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace, since God gave him rest on every side.

³¹ Jehoshaphat’s Many Deeds. Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah; she was the daughter of Shilhi. ³² He followed the example of his father Asa, and he did not deviate from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. ³³ However, the high places were not abolished, and the people had not as yet fixed their hearts on the God of their fathers.^[d]

³⁴ The remainder of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of Jehu, the son of Hanani, which is included in the book of the kings of Israel.^[e]

³⁵ Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah allied himself with King Ahaziah of Israel, who was guilty of wicked deeds. ^{36 [f]}Jehoshaphat joined Ahaziah in the building of ships to sail to Tarshish. The fleet was built at Ezion-geber. ³⁷ As a result, Eliezer, the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah, then prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying: “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” The ships were wrecked, and they were never fit to sail to Tarshish.

Footnotes

1. 2 Chronicles 20:1 Meunites: a tribe of the Transjordan.
2. 2 Chronicles 20:2 The sea: the Dead Sea.
3. 2 Chronicles 20:26 Berakah: the Hebrew word for “blessing” or “praise.”
4. 2 Chronicles 20:33 In 17:6, Jehoshaphat is said to have gotten rid of the high places. The discrepancy shows that the expressions used are not adequately nuanced; the meaning here is “not removed completely.” There, the meaning is “removed, but not completely.”
5. 2 Chronicles 20:34 Kings of Israel: of the entire Hebrew people, including, therefore, events that took place in Judah.
6. 2 Chronicles 20:36 The Hebrew speaks of “ships that could go to Tarshish.” Tarshish was identified generally with the lands of the western Mediterranean. If we understand Tarshish as meaning any distant land, and “ships that could go to Tarshish” as meaning any ships capable of lengthy voyages, any contradiction disappears.