2 Chronicles 20

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Some time later, the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them the Meunites, advanced to war againstJehoshaphat.	1 After these things, the sons of Moab, and the sons of Ammon, and with them some from the Ammonites, gathered together so that they might fight against him.
2 Jehoshaphat received the following intel igence, 'A vast horde is advancing on you from the other sideof the Sea, from Edom; they are already at Hazazon-Tamar, that is, En-Gedi.'	2 And messengers arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying: “A great multitude has arrived against you, from those places that are across the sea, and from Syria. And behold, they are standing together at Hazazon-tamar, which is Engedi.”
3 Jehoshaphat was alarmed and resolved to have recourse to Yahweh; he proclaimed a fast throughoutal Judah.	3 Then Jehoshaphat, being terrified with fear, gave himself entirely to petitioning the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah.
4 So Judah assembled to seek help from Yahweh; to seek Yahweh they came from every town inJudah.	4 And Judah gathered together to pray to the Lord. Moreover, everyone from their cities came to beseech him.
5 Then, standing in the Temple of Yahweh in front of the new court among the assembled people ofJudah and Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat	5 And when Jehoshaphat had stood up in the midst of the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new atrium,
6 said, 'Yahweh, God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven, and do you not rule al the kingdomsof the nations? Your power and might are such that no one can resist you.	6 he said: “O Lord, God of our fathers, you are God in heaven, and you rule over all the kingdoms of the Gentiles. In your hand is strength and power, and no one is able to withstand you.
7 Did not you, our God, dispossess the inhabitants of this country for your people Israel and give it tothe descendants of Abraham, your friend, for ever?	7 Did not you, our God, put to death all the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel? And you gave it to the offspring of your friend Abraham, for all time.
8 They have lived in it and built you a sanctuary there for your name,	8 And they lived in it. And they built a Sanctuary to your name in it, saying:
9 saying, "If disaster, war, flood, pestilence or famine befal us, and we stand in front of this Temple,before you -- for your name is in this Temple -- and cry to you in our distress, then you wil listen and rescue us."	9 ‘If evils will have fallen upon us, the sword of judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand in your sight before this house, in which your name is invoked, and we will cry out to you in our tribulations. And you will heed us and accomplish our salvation.’
10 'Now see, the Ammonites and Moabites and the people of Mount Seir, whom you would not al owIsrael to invade when they came out of Egypt -- on the contrary, Israel avoided them, and did not destroy them-	10 Now therefore, behold the sons of Ammon, and of Moab, and mount Seir, through whose lands you did not permit Israel to cross when they were departing from Egypt. Instead, they turned aside from them, and they did not put them to death.
11 see how they reward us, by coming to drive us out of your possession which you allotted to us!	11 They are doing the contrary, and they are striving to cast us from the possession which you delivered to us.
12 Our God, will you not pass sentence on them, since we are helpless against this vast horde about toattack us? Because we do not know what to do, we look to you.'	12 Therefore, will you, our God, not judge them? Certainly, in us there is not enough strength so that we would be able to withstand this multitude, which rushes against us. But although we do not know what we ought to do, we have this alone remaining, that we direct our eyes to you.”
13 Al Judah, including their families, wives and children, were standing before Yahweh,	13 Truly, all of Judah was standing before the Lord with their little ones and wives and children.
14 when, in the middle of the assembly, the spirit of Yahweh came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son ofBenaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah the Levite, a member of the clan of Asaph,	14 But there was Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite from the sons of Asaph, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord went, in the midst of the crowd.
15 who then cried, 'Listen, al Judah and you citizens of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat!Yahweh says this to you, "Do not be afraid, do not be daunted by this vast horde, for the war is not your affair butGod's.	15 And he said: “Pay attention, all of Judah, and you who live in Jerusalem, and you, king Jehoshaphat. Thus says the Lord to you: Do not be afraid. Neither should you be dismayed by this multitude. For the fight is not yours, but God’s.
16 Go down against them tomorrow; they are coming up by the Slope of Ziz and you wil encounterthem at the end of the ravine near the desert of Jeruel.	16 Tomorrow, you shall descend against them. For they will ascend along the incline named Ziz, and will find them at the summit of the torrent, which is opposite the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You wil not need to fight in this battle. Take up your position, stand firm, and see what salvationYahweh has in store for you. Judah and Jerusalem, be fearless, be dauntless; march out against them tomorrowand Yahweh will be with you." '	17 It will not be you who will fight. Instead, only stand with confidence, and you will see the help of the Lord over you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid. Neither should you be dismayed. Tomorrow you shall go forth against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
18 Jehoshaphat bowed his head, his face to the ground, and al Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem feldown before Yahweh to worship Yahweh.	18 Then Jehoshaphat, and Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell prone on the ground before the Lord, and they adored him.
19 Then the Levites -- both the Kohathites and Korahites -- stood up to praise Yahweh, God of Israel, atthe top of their voices.	19 And the Levites from the sons of Kohath, and from the sons of Korah, were praising the Lord, the God of Israel, with a great voice, on high.
20 Early next morning they prepared to set out for the desert of Tekoa. As they were setting out,Jehoshaphat stood up and said, 'Listen to me, Judah and you citizens of Jerusalem! Believe in Yahweh yourGod and you wil be secure; believe in his prophets and you wil be successful.'	20 And when they had risen up in the morning, they went out through the desert of Tekoa. And as they were setting out, Jehoshaphat, standing in their midst, said: “Listen to me, men of Judah and all inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be secure. Believe in his prophets, and everything will come to prosperity.”
21 Then, having conferred with the people, he appointed singers who were to praise Yahweh and go outahead of the army in sacred vestments, singing Praise Yahweh, for his faithful love endures for ever!	21 And he gave counsel to the people. And he appointed the singing men of the Lord, so that they would praise him by their companies, and so that they would go before the army, and with one voice say: “Confess to the Lord. For his mercy is eternal.”
22 The moment they began their shouts of praise, Yahweh sprang an ambush on the Ammonites,Moabites and the people of Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and that was the end of them,	22 And when they had begun to sing praises, the Lord turned their ambushes upon themselves, that is, those of the sons of Ammon, and of Moab, and of mount Seir, who had gone forth so that they might fight against Judah. And they were struck down.
23 for the Ammonites and Moabites turned on the people of Mount Seir, and put them under the curseof destruction and then, having finished off the people of Seir, set to work slaughtering one another.	23 For the sons of Ammon and of Moab rose up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, so that they might slay and destroy them. And when they had perpetrated this work, now also turning upon themselves, they cut one another with wounds.
24 When Judah reached the point overlooking the desert and looked towards the horde, there werenothing but corpses lying on the ground; no one escaped.	24 Then, when Judah had gone to the high point that looks out toward the desert, they saw, from far away, the entire wide region filled with dead bodies. Neither was there anyone who was left alive and had been able to escape death.
25 When Jehoshaphat arrived to take the booty, they found quantities of cattle and innumerablepossessions, clothes and valuables, which they seized for themselves; it was impossible to carry it, and it tookthem three days to collect it.	25 Therefore, Jehoshaphat went, and all the people with him, in order to take away the spoils of the dead. And they found, among the dead bodies, diverse equipment, and also garments, and very precious vessels. And they despoiled these, to such an extent that they were unable to carry everything. Neither could they, over three days, take away the spoils because of the magnitude of the plunder.
26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they blessed Yahweh -- hence theplace was given the name Val ey of Beracah, which it stil has today.	26 Then, on the fourth day, they were gathered together in the Valley of Blessing. For they had blessed the Lord there, and therefore they called that place the Valley of Blessing, even to the present day.
27 Then al the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat at theirhead as Yahweh had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies.	27 And every man of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, returned, with Jehoshaphat before them, to Jerusalem, with great rejoicing. For the Lord had granted to them gladness concerning their enemies.
28 To the sound of lyre, harp and trumpet they came to Jerusalem, to the Temple of Yahweh,	28 And they entered into Jerusalem with psalteries, and harps, and trumpets, into the house of the Lord.
29 and a panic from Yahweh seized al the neighbouring kings when they heard how Yahweh hadfought against the enemies of Israel.	29 Then the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands, when they had heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 And henceforth Jehoshaphat's reign was undisturbed, for his God gave him peace all round.	30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was quiet. And God granted to him peace on all sides.
31 So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he came to the throne and hereigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.	31 And so Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. And he was thirty-five years old when he had begun to reign. Then he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
32 He fol owed the example of his father Asa undeviatingly, doing what Yahweh regards as right.	32 And he walked in the way of his father, Asa, and he did not decline from it, doing the things that were pleasing before the Lord.
33 The high places, however, were not abolished; the people had still not set their hearts on the God oftheir ancestors.	33 Yet truly, he did not take away the high places, and the people still had not directed their heart to the Lord, the God of their fathers.
34 The rest of the history of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, is written down in the records of Jehu son ofHanani, which are quoted in the Book of the Kings of Israel.	34 But the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the first and the last, have been written in the words of Jehu, the son of Hanani, which he digested into the books of the kings of Israel.
35 Afterwards, Jehoshaphat formed a partnership with Ahaziah king of Israel, which was very wrong ofhim.	35 After these things, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, formed a friendship with Ahaziah, the king of Israel, whose works were very impious.
36 He joined him in building some ships to go to Tarshish; they built them at Ezion-Geber.	36 And he was a partner in the making of ships, which would go to Tarshish. And they made the fleet at Eziongeber.
37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah then prophesied against Jehoshaphat as fol ows, 'Becauseyou have become Ahaziah's partner, Yahweh has wrecked your efforts.' The ships were wrecked and werenever fit to sail for Tarshish.	37 Then Eliezer, the son of Dodavahu, from Mareshah, prophesied to Jehoshaphat, saying: “Because you have made a pact with Ahaziah, the Lord has struck your works, and the ships have been broken, and they have not been able to go to Tarshish.”