20
1 After this also came the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and with them of the Ammonites against Iehoshaphat to battell. 2 Then there came that tolde Iehoshaphat, saying, There commeth a great multitude against thee from beyonde the Sea, out of Aram: and beholde, they bee in Hazzon Tamar, which is En-gedi. 3 And Iehoshaphat feared, and set him selfe to seeke the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Iudah. 4 And Iudah gathered them selues together to aske counsel of the Lord: they came euen out of all the cities of Iudah to inquire of the Lord, 5 And Iehoshaphat stoode in the Congregation of Iudah and Ierusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court, 6 And saide, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heauen? and reignest not thou on all the kingdomes of the heathen? and in thine hande is power and might, and none is able to withstand thee. 7 Diddest not thou our God cast out ye inhabitants of this lande before thy people Israel, and gauest it to the seede of Abraham thy friende for euer? 8 And they dwelt therein, and haue built thee a Sanctuarie therein for thy Name, saying, 9 If euill come vpon vs, as the sworde of iudgement, or pestilence, or famine, we will stande before this house and in thy presence (for thy name is in this house) and will crie vnto thee in our tribulation, and thou wilt heare and helpe. 10 And now beholde, the children of Ammon and Moab, and mount Seir, by whome thou wouldest not let Israel goe, when they came out of the land of Egypt: but they turned aside from them, and destroyed them not: 11 Behold, I say, they reward vs, in comming to cast vs out of thine inheritance, which thou hast caused vs to inherit. 12 O our God, wilt thou not iudge them? for there is no strength in vs to stand before this great multitude that commeth against vs, neither doe wee knowe what to doe: but our eyes are toward thee. 13 And all Iudah stoode before the Lord with their yong ones, their wiues, and their children. 14 And Iahaziel the sonne of Zechariah the sonne of Benaiah, the sonne of Ieiel, the sonne of Mattaniah, a Leuite of the sonnes of Asaph was there, vpon whome came the Spirite of ye Lord, in the middes of the Congregation. 15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Iudah, and ye inhabitantes of Ierusalem, and thou, King Iehoshaphat: thus saith the Lord vnto you, Feare you not, neither be afraide for this great multitude: for the battel is not yours, but Gods. 16 To morowe goe yee downe against them: beholde, they come vp by the cleft of Ziz, and ye shall finde them at the ende of the brooke before the wildernesse of Ieruel. 17 Ye shall not neede to fight in this battell: stand still, moue not, and behold the saluation of the Lord towardes you: O Iudah, and Ierusalem, feare ye not, neither be afraid: to morow goe out against them, and the Lord wilbe with you. 18 Then Iehoshaphat bowed downe with his face to the earth, and all Iudah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem fell downe before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. 19 And the Leuites of the children of the Kohathites and of the childre of the Corhites stood vp to prayse the Lord God of Israel with a loude voyce on hie. 20 And when they arose early in the morning, they went forth to the wildernesse of Tekoa: and as they departed, Iehoshaphat stoode and sayde, Heare ye me, O Iudah, and ye inhabitants of Ierusalem: put your trust in the Lord your God, and ye shalbe assured: beleeue his Prophets, and ye shall prosper. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, and appoynted singers vnto the Lord, and them that should prayse him that is in the beautifull Sanctuarie, in going forth before the men of armes, and saying, Prayse ye the Lord, for his mercy lasteth for euer, 22 And when they began to shoute, and to prayse, the Lord layed ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Iudah, and they slewe one another. 23 For the children of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of mount Seir, to slay and to destroy them and when they had made an end of the inhabitantes of Seir, euery one helped to destroy another. 24 And when Iudah came towarde Mizpah in the wildernes, they looked vnto the multitude: and behold, the carkeises were fallen to the earth, and none escaped. 25 And when Iehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoyle of them, they founde among them in abundance both of substance and also of bodies laden with precious iewels, which they tooke for themselues, till they could cary no more: they were three dayes in gathering of the spoyle: for it was much. 26 And in the fourth day they assembled themselues in the valley of Berachah: for there they blessed the Lord: therefore they called the name of that place, The valley of Berachah vnto this day. 27 Then euery man of Iudah and Ierusalem returned with Iehoshaphat their head, to goe againe to Ierusalem with ioy: for the Lord had made them to reioyce ouer their enemies. 28 And they came to Ierusalem with viols and with harpes, and with trumpets, euen vnto the house of the Lord. 29 And the feare of God was vpon all the kingdomes of the earth, whe they had heard that the Lord had fought against ye enemies of Israel. 30 So the kingdom of Iehoshaphat was quiet, and his God gaue him rest on euery side. 31 And Iehoshaphat reigned ouer Iudah, and was fiue and thirtie yeere olde, when he began to reigne: and reigned fiue and twentie yeere in Ierusalem, and his mothers name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not therefrom, doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord. 33 Howbeit the hie places were not taken away: for the people had not yet prepared their hearts vnto the God of their fathers. 34 Concerning the rest of the actes of Iehoshaphat first and last, beholde, they are written in the booke of Iehu the sonne of Hanani, which is mentioned in the booke of the kings of Israel. 35 Yet after this did Iehoshaphat King of Iudah ioyne himselfe with Ahaziah King of Israel, who was giuen to do euill. 36 And he ioyned with him, to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the shippes in Ezion Gaber. 37 Then Eliezer ye sonne of Dodauah of Mareshah prophecied against Iehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast ioyned thy selfe with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy workes. and the shippes were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.