2 Chronicles 19; 2 Chronicles 20; 2 Chronicles 21; 2 Chronicles 22; 2 Chronicles 23

1 Upon the safe arrival of Judah's King Jehoshaphat to his palace in Jerusalem,

2 Jehu son of Hanani the seer came out to meet him and said, "Why did you help the wicked? Why have you loved those who hate the LORD? This is why the LORD is angry with you.

3 Nevertheless, there is some good to be found in you, in that you have removed the sacred poles from the land and set your mind to seek God."

4 Though Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, he regularly went out among the people between Beer-sheba and Ephraim's highlands, and encouraged them to return to the LORD, the God of their ancestors.

5 He appointed judges throughout the land in each of the fortified cities of Judah,

6 instructing them, "Be careful when you pass judgment. You aren't dispensing justice by merely human standards but for the LORD, who is with you.

7 Therefore, respect the LORD and act accordingly, because there can be no injustice, playing favorites, or taking bribes when it comes to the LORD our God."

8 Jehoshaphat also appointed judges in Jerusalem from among the Levites, the priests, and the family heads of Israel to administer the LORD's Instruction and to settle disputes among those living in Jerusalem.

9 He instructed them, "You must respect the LORD at all times, in truth, and with complete integrity.

10 In any case that comes before you from a fellow citizen in an outlying town, whether it involves bloodshed or is an issue of instruction, commandment, regulations, or case laws, you must warn them not to sin against the LORD, consequently making him angry with both you and your fellow citizen. Do this, and you won't sin.

11 Amariah the chief priest will be in charge of all religious matters, and Zebadiah, Ishmael's son, the leader of Judah's house, will be in charge of all civil matters. The Levites will serve as your officers of the court. Carry out your duties with confidence, and may the LORD be with those who do good."

1 Some time later, the Moabites and the Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites, attacked Jehoshaphat.

2 Jehoshaphat was told, "A large army from beyond the sea, from Edom, is coming to attack you. They are already at Hazazon-tamar!" (that is, En-gedi).

3 Frightened, Jehoshaphat decided to seek the LORD's help and proclaimed a fast for all Judah.

4 People from all of Judah's cities came to ask the LORD for help.

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the LORD's temple in front of the new courtyard.

6 "LORD, the God of our ancestors, you alone are God in heaven. You rule all the kingdoms of the nations. You are so powerful that no one can oppose you.

7 You, our God, drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave this land to the descendants of your friend Abraham forever.

8 They have lived in it and have built a sanctuary in honor of your name in it, saying,

9 ‘If calamity, sword, flood, plague, or famine comes upon us, we will stand before this temple, before you, because your name is in this temple. We will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.'

10 So look here! The Ammonites, the Moabites, and those from Mount Seir—the people you wouldn't let Israel invade when they came out of Egypt's land, so Israel avoided them and didn't destroy them—

11 here they are, returning the favor by coming to drive us out of your possession that you gave to us!

12 Our God, won't you punish them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We don't know what to do, and so we are looking to you for help."

13 All Judah was standing before the LORD, even their little ones, wives, and children.

14 Then the LORD's spirit came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah son of Benaiah son of Jeiel son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the line of Asaph, as he stood in the middle of the assembly.

15 "Pay attention, all of Judah, every inhabitant of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat," Jahaziel said. "This is what the LORD says to you: Don't be afraid or discouraged by this great army because the battle isn't yours. It belongs to God!

16 March out against them tomorrow. Since they will be coming through the Ziz pass, meet them at the end of the valley that opens into the Jeruel wilderness.

17 You don't need to fight this battle. Just take your places, stand ready, and watch how the LORD, who is with you, will deliver you, Judah and Jerusalem. Don't be afraid or discouraged! Go out tomorrow and face them. The LORD will be with you."

18 Then Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD in worship.

19 Levites from the lines of Kohath and Korah stood up to loudly praise the LORD, the God of Israel.

20 Early the next morning they went into the Tekoa wilderness. When they were about to go out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and every inhabitant of Jerusalem! Trust the LORD your God, and you will stand firm; trust his prophets and succeed!"

21 After consulting with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed musicians to play for the LORD, praising his majestic holiness. They were to march out before the warriors, saying, "Give thanks to the LORD because his faithful love lasts forever!"

22 As they broke into joyful song and praise, the LORD launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites, the Moabites, and those from Mount Seir who were invading Judah, so that they were defeated.

23 The Ammonites and the Moabites turned on those from Mount Seir, completely destroying them. Once they had finished off the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy each other!

24 When Judah arrived at the point overlooking the wilderness, all they could see were corpses lying all over the ground. There were no survivors.

25 When Jehoshaphat and his army came to take the loot, they found a great amount of cattle, goods, clothing, and other valuables—much more than they could carry. In fact, there was so much it took three days to haul it away.

26 On the fourth day they assembled in Blessing Valley, where they blessed the LORD. That's why it is called Blessing Valley to this day.

27 Then everyone from Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at their head, joyfully returned home to Jerusalem because the LORD had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies.

28 They entered Jerusalem accompanied by harps, lutes, and trumpets, and they went to the LORD's temple.

29 The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the LORD had fought against Israel's enemies.

30 As a result, Jehoshaphat's rule was peaceful because his God gave him rest on all sides.

31 Jehoshaphat ruled over Judah. He was 35 years old when he became king, and he ruled for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah; she was Shilhi's daughter.

32 Jehoshaphat walked in the way of his father Asa and didn't turn aside from it, doing what was right in the LORD's eyes,

33 with the exception that he didn't remove the shrines. The people were still not committed with all their hearts to the God of their ancestors.

34 The rest of Jehoshaphat's deeds, from beginning to end, are written in the records of Jehu, Hanani's son, which are included in the records of Israel's kings.

35 Sometime later, Judah's King Jehoshaphat formed an alliance with Israel's King Ahaziah, which caused him to sin.

36 They agreed to build a fleet of Tarshish-styled ships, and they built them in Ezion-geber.

37 Eliezer, Dodavahu's son from Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat: "Because you have formed an alliance with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made." The ships were wrecked and couldn't sail to Tarshish.

1 Jehoshaphat died and was buried with his ancestors in David's City. His son Jehoram succeeded him as king.

2 Jehoram's brothers, the other sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were the sons of Israel's King Jehoshaphat.

3 Their father had given them many gifts of silver, gold, and other valuables, along with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the oldest son.

4 When Jehoram had taken control of his father's kingdom, he established his rule by killing all his brothers, along with some other leaders of Israel.

5 Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king, and he ruled for eight years in Jerusalem.

6 He walked in the ways of Israel's kings, just as Ahab's dynasty had done, because he married Ahab's daughter. He did what was evil in the LORD's eyes.

7 Nevertheless, because of the covenant he had made with David, the LORD wasn't willing to destroy David's dynasty. He had promised to preserve a lamp for David and his sons forever.

8 During Jehoram's rule, Edom rebelled against Judah's power and appointed its own king.

9 Jehoram, along with all his chariots, crossed over to Zair. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night, defeating him and his chariot officers.

10 So Edom has been independent of Judah to this day. Libnah rebelled against Jehoram's rule at the same time because he had abandoned the LORD, the God of his ancestors.

11 As if that wasn't enough, Jehoram constructed shrines throughout Judah's highlands, encouraged Jerusalem's citizens to be unfaithful, and led Judah astray.

12 A letter from the prophet Elijah came to Jehoram that read, "This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: Because you haven't walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or the ways of Judah's King Asa,

13 but have walked in the ways of Israel's kings and have encouraged Judah and Jerusalem's citizens to be unfaithful, just as the house of Ahab did, and because you have even murdered your own brothers, your father's family, who were better than you,

14 the LORD will now strike your family, your children, your wives, and all your possessions with a heavy blow.

15 You yourself will become deathly ill with a chronic disease that will cause your intestines to fall out."

16 Then the LORD made the Philistines and the Arabs, who lived near the Cushites, angry with Jehoram.

17 They attacked Judah, broke down its defenses, and hauled off all the goods that were found in the royal palace, along with the king's children and wives. Only Jehoahaz, Jehoram's youngest son, was spared.

18 After all this, the LORD struck Jehoram with an incurable intestinal disease.

19 For almost two years he grew steadily worse, until two days before his death, when his intestines fell out, causing him to die in horrible pain. His people didn't make a fire in his honor as they had done for his ancestors.

20 He was 32 years old when he became king, and he ruled for eight years in Jerusalem. No one was sorry he died. He was buried in David's City but not in the royal cemetery.

1 The inhabitants of Jerusalem made his youngest son Ahaziah succeed him as king because the raiding party that had invaded the camp with the Arabs had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah, Jehoram's son, became king of Judah.

2 Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king, and he ruled for one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was the granddaughter of Omri.

3 Ahaziah walked in the ways of Ahab's dynasty, encouraged in this wickedness by his mother.

4 He did what was evil in the LORD's eyes, just as Ahab's dynasty had done, because after his father's death they gave him advice that led to his downfall.

5 Ahaziah was following their advice when he went with Israel's King Joram, Ahab's son, to fight against Aram's King Hazael at Ramoth-gilead, where the Arameans wounded Joram.

6 Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he suffered at Ramah in his battle with Aram's King Hazael. Then Judah's King Ahaziah, Jehoram's son, went down to visit Joram, Ahab's son, at Jezreel because he had been wounded.

7 But God used this visit to Joram to bring about Ahaziah's downfall. After his arrival, Ahaziah went with Joram to meet Jehu, Nimshi's son, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy Ahab's dynasty.

8 While Jehu was executing judgment on Ahab's dynasty, he discovered the princes of Judah, Ahaziah's nephews, serving Ahaziah, and Jehu killed them.

9 Jehu went looking for Ahaziah, who was captured while hiding in Samaria. He was then brought to Jehu and executed. He was given a decent burial, however, because people said, "He was the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." There were now no members of Ahaziah's dynasty strong enough to rule the kingdom.

10 When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, learned of her son's death, she immediately destroyed the entire royal family of Judah's dynasty.

11 But Jehoshabeath the king's daughter secretly took Ahaziah's son Jehoash from the rest of the royal children who were about to be murdered, and hid him in a bedroom, along with his nurse. In this way Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of the priest Jehoiada and the sister of Ahaziah, hid Jehoash from Athaliah so she couldn't murder him.

12 He remained hidden with them in God's temple for six years while Athaliah ruled the country.

1 But in the seventh year Jehoiada boldly formed a conspiracy with the following unit commanders: Jeroham's son Azariah, Jehohanan's son Ishmael, Obed's son Azariah, Adaiah's son Maaseiah, and Zichri's son Elishaphat.

2 They went throughout Judah recruiting the Levites from all the cities of Judah, as well as the family heads of Israel, who then came to Jerusalem.

3 The entire assembly made a covenant with the king in God's temple. Jehoiada said, "Look! Here is the king's son. He must be king, just as the LORD promised about David's descendants.

4 This is what you must do: A third of you priests and Levites coming on sabbath duty will guard the gates,

5 another third will be at the royal palace, and another third will be at the Foundation Gate. Meanwhile, all the people will be in the courtyards of the LORD's temple.

6 Don't enter the LORD's temple, because only the priests or Levites on duty can do that. They are allowed to enter because they are holy, but the rest of the people must follow the LORD's requirements.

7 The Levites must surround the king, each with his weapons drawn. Whoever comes near your ranks must be killed; stay near the king wherever he goes."

8 The Levites and all Judah did everything that the priest Jehoiada ordered. They each took charge of those men reporting for duty on the Sabbath, as well as those going off duty, since Jehoiada hadn't released any divisions from duty.

9 Then the priest Jehoiada gave the unit commanders King David's spears and large and small shields that were kept in God's temple.

10 He positioned all the people, each with their weapons drawn, near the altar and the temple, stretching from the south side of the temple to the north side, so as to protect the king.

11 Then they brought out the king's son, crowned him, gave him the royal law, and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him as everyone cried out, "Long live the king!"

12 When Athaliah heard the noise made by the people running and cheering the king, she went to the people at the LORD's temple

13 and saw the king standing by the royal pillar at the entrance, with the commanders and trumpeters beside the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and singers accompanied by musical instruments were leading the praise. Athaliah ripped her clothes and screamed, "Treason! Treason!"

14 Then the priest Jehoiada brought out the unit commanders who were in charge of the army. "Take her out under guard," he told them, "and kill anyone who follows her." This was because the priest had said, "She must not be executed in the LORD's temple."

15 They arrested her when she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate at the royal palace. She was executed there.

16 Jehoiada then made a covenant between himself, all the people, and the king, that they would be the LORD's people.

17 Then all the people went to Baal's temple and tore it down, smashing its altars and images into pieces. They executed Baal's priest Mattan in front of the altars.

18 Jehoiada appointed the priests and Levites in charge of the LORD's temple, and then appointed the divisions of the priests and Levites that David had assigned to the LORD's temple to offer entirely burned sacrifices to the LORD, as written in the Instruction from Moses, with rejoicing and singing, just as David had ordered.

19 He posted guards at the gates of the LORD's temple so that no one who was unclean in any way could enter.

20 Then he took the unit commanders, the officials, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and they led the king down from the LORD's temple, processing through the Upper Gate to the palace, where the king sat upon the royal throne.

21 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was at peace now that Athaliah had been executed at the palace.