1After this the people of Moab and the people of Ammon came against Jehoshaphat to make war. Others came with them besides the Ammonites.
2Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great crowd of people is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria. Look, they are in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi."
3Jehoshaphat was afraid. He set himself to seek the LORD, and he called for a fast throughout all Judah.
4So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD. They came from all the cities of Judah to seek the LORD.
5Jehoshaphat stood up among the people of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, in front of the new court.
6He said, "LORD God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? Do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In your hand there is power and might, so that no one is able to stand against you."
7"Are you not our God? You drove out the people who lived in this land before your people Israel, and you gave it for ever to the seed of Abraham your friend."
8"They lived in it, and have built you a holy place in it for your name, saying,"
9"'If trouble comes upon us, whether the sword, or judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house, and in your presence, for your name is in this house. We will cry to you in our trouble, and then you will hear and save us.'"
10"Now look, here are the people of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir. You would not let Israel invade them when Israel came out of the land of Egypt. Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them."
11"Look, I say, how they pay us back. They come to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit."
12"Our God, will you not judge them? We have no strength against this great army that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."
13All Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel in the middle of the gathering. Jahaziel was the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph.
15He said, "Listen, all Judah, and you people of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat. This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid, and do not lose heart because of this great crowd. The battle is not yours, but God's."
16"'Tomorrow go down against them. Look, they are coming up by the cliff of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the brook, in front of the wilderness of Jeruel."
17"'You will not need to fight in this battle. Take your places, stand still, and see how the LORD saves you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid, and do not lose heart. Tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD will be with you.'"
18Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD and worshipped the LORD.
19The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and from the sons of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a very loud voice.
20They got up early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah, and you people of Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will stand firm. Believe his prophets, and you will do well."
21When he had talked with the people, he appointed singers to the LORD, to praise the beauty of holiness as they went out in front of the army, saying, "Praise the LORD, for his mercy lasts for ever."
22When they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, who had come against Judah. And they were struck down.
23For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the people of mount Seir, to kill and destroy them completely. When they had finished off the people of Seir, each one helped to destroy the other.
24When Judah came to the watchtower in the wilderness, they looked towards the crowd of enemies. Look, they were dead bodies fallen to the ground, and no one had escaped.
25Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the goods from them. Among them they found great riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away. They were three days gathering the goods, there was so much.
26On the fourth day they gathered in the valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the LORD. That is why the name of that place is called The valley of Berachah to this day.
27Then every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at the front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy. For the LORD had made them glad over their enemies.
28They came to Jerusalem with lyres and harps and trumpets, to the house of the LORD.
29The fear of God came on all the kingdoms of those lands when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
31Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
32He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn away from it. He did what was right in the sight of the LORD.
33But the high places were not taken away, for the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their fathers.
34The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.
35After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly.
36He joined with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Eziongeber.
37Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat. He said, "Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has broken what you have made." And the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.